CPC Releases Report into the Willey In-Custody Death

Commission insists on need for new legislation to address delay issues

The Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP (CPC) has released its final report in public interest investigation into the in-custody death of Clay Alvin Willey in Prince George, BC, on July 22, 2003.

RCMP members in Prince George arrested Mr. Willey following reports of a man behaving erratically. The RCMP used force in arresting and transporting Mr. Willey to cells. Mr. Willey was later transported to hospital, where he died the next morning.

The Commission found that while the use of force used to arrest Mr. Willey was reasonable given the circumstances, members failed to treat Mr. Willey with respect or decency during his transportation from the police vehicle to cells. Many of the Commission's recommendations regarding the investigation have been addressed with the implementation of more recent policies. The RCMP Commissioner has essentially agreed with all of the Commission's findings and recommendations.

The CPC initiated its complaint into the incident in November 2009 at the request of the Solicitor General of British Columbia. The investigation was completed in November 2010 and the CPC provided its interim report at that time. It took the RCMP nearly 14 months to issue its response to the CPC's Interim Report. The CPC maintains that these delays are inappropriate and impede the public complaint process.

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For more information, please contact:

Laura Colella
613-219-4595
Laura.Colella@cpc-cpp.gc.ca