An Indigenous man’s death in Smithers RCMP custody almost four years ago was linked to a series of lapses in prisoner monitoring, as per British Columbia’s police watchdog. The man, who faced aggravated assault charges following a home invasion on September 1, 2022, died by suicide in his cell while the overseeing guard was observed dozing off or looking away from surveillance screens, according to an Independent Investigations Office (IIO) report.
The investigation revealed that essential safety checks were not consistently performed at the Smithers RCMP detachment during that period, despite being mandated by policy. IIO Chief Civilian Director Jessica Berglund stated in the report that the man’s death was a preventable tragedy, although there were no reasonable grounds to suspect any criminal wrongdoing by the officers.
The report disclosed that the last physical check on the man occurred at 7:57 a.m. on September 4, with no subsequent checks until he was discovered unresponsive 13 hours later. Surveillance footage indicated the man receiving a meal through his cell door slot at approximately 5:51 p.m., followed by video monitoring from the guard station. The guard’s interview acknowledged the routine neglect of physical checks on regular cells, despite policy mandates.
The investigation further revealed that Smithers RCMP faced staffing shortages at the time, with an acting commander highlighting variations in cell management practices compared to other detachments. The regular detachment commander, absent during the man’s custody, admitted to the lack of refresher training and absence of a system for ensuring physical cell checks.
Following the man’s death, the detachment implemented updated guard training, enhanced monitoring of physical checks, improved record-keeping, and recruited additional guards. Berglund emphasized that the evidence pointed to multiple operational failures within the Smithers RCMP detachment’s cell block operations, with negligence in prisoner care practices being condoned over time.
She clarified that while the second jail guard’s actions fell short of expected standards of care, they did not meet the legal threshold for criminal negligence causing death. Berglund stressed the need for addressing longstanding policy non-compliance and the significance of proper care for detainees, as reflected in the concerning number of custodial deaths from 2019 to 2023, seven of which were Indigenous individuals.
