Steve Mesic shooting inquest Day 9: Focus on police training

Hamilton Polices training and use of force policies were put under the spotlightThursdayas the coroners inquest into the death of Steve Mesic wrapped up its ninth day.

The inquest was told Hamilton police officers go through a mandatory 10-hour use of force re-certificationevery year, said Sgt. Jon Alsbergas, the use of force supervisor for the service.

They must be prepared tode-escalateat any time, or escalate, given the situationtheyre in.- JonAlsbergas, HPSuse of force trainer

The training includes specific situations where officers simulate dealing with emotionally disturbed people, he said.

Alsbergas also reaffirmed that there is no set use of force formula or way to escalateor de-escalate a situation, and an officers decision rests largely on how he or sheperceives a situation.

They must be prepared to de-escalate at any time, or escalate, given the situation theyre in, he said.

Tasers not the perfect fix

The issue of equipping more officers with Tasers was also raised, withAlsbergas noting that Hamilton police plan to buy 75 more of the electrical weaponsby the end of the year, to be used by front line officers.

While the device, which Alsbergas calls an intermediate weapon, is useful, its nota replacement for a situation where lethal force is needed.

You dont take a Taser to a gunfight, he said You take a gun to a gunfight.

Tasers are fickle devices, and can be rendered ineffective by a number of factors likethick clothing or both leads not hitting the target, he said.

If time and opportunity are there, you can use a Taser to resolve the situation, hesaid, noting that time and opportunity often involve having another officer providecover with a gun in case the Taser fails.

Additional training fully supported

Under cross examination from Anita Szigeti representing the Empowerment Counci- an mental health advocacy groupl, Alsbergas said hed fully supportexpanding Hamilton police training to include instruction from people who have experiencedmental illness.

"I don't think I get a really true understanding [of mental crisis] until I talk tosomeone who's experienced it, he said.

The training could also go both ways, he said, suggesting the public could benefit from learning more about how police respond to people suffering from emotionaldistress.

If they hear police dont move, someone has gone into a lethal force option.- JohnWeiler, Instructor with the Ontario Police College

The more the public understands what we do and why we do it, everyones better off with that, he said.

Towards the end of his testimony, Alsbergas emphasized how sorry he was for everyone involved in the incident.

[Especially] I feel sorry for Mr. Mesic, he said. The pain and suffering he wentthrough.

Alsbergas was the second police expert to testify on Thursday, with John Weiler,an instructor with the Ontario Police College, wrapping up his testimony in themorning.

Lawyers representing a number of parties involved with the case grilled Weiler onthe intricacies of police training.

Specific attention was given to the use of the police challenge the forcefulsaying of the phrase police, dont move, which is taught to officers across theprovince. The challenge is normally said when an officer draws his gun on a suspect, and is designed to alert the suspect, other officers and nearby civilians of theseverity of the situation, said Weiler.

If they hear police dont move, someone has gone into a lethal force option,he explained.

Other tactics

Carr Hatch, a lawyer representing Mesics fianc Shannon Dorr, also questioned Weiler on a number of other tactics officers are taught, including the use of batons, tasers, pepper spray, as well as the actual amount of time officers spend intraining.

Hatch also questioned if a less than lethal option like pepper spray couldhave been used in the specific situation that was faced by the two officersconfronting Mesic.

We can't just say the closest officer should do something, he said in responseto the suggestion that one of the officers at the scene should have used pepperspray.

Towards the end of the morning session, Weiler responded to questions posed by Dr. Jack Stanborough, the coroner heading up the inquest, about an officers obligations if they believe that a person is suffering from emotionaldistress.

The primary obligation is to assist that person as much as possible, explained Weiler, noting that officers often walk a fine line in dealing with these situations.

Its always that balance between you did too much and you didnt do enough.

Testimony allowed

Stanborough began the session by making a decision on a request to allowJennifer Chambers of the Empowerment Council to testify. The testimony, whichwas discussed at the inquest on Wednesday, had lawyers divided.

In the end, Stanborough decided to allow Chambers to testify on issues relatingto patient care and psychiatric status, but said testimony relating to use of forceand de-escalation tactics would not be allowed.

That psychiatric component is absolutely essential to this inquest, he said.

The inquest continues Friday, when Chambers evidence will be heard.Mesic, a former steelworker, was shot on June 7, 2013, just steps away from his own home near Lincoln Alexander Parkway and Upper Wentworth. The incident tookplace shorty after Mesic checked himself out of a voluntary mental health facility at

St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton.

• Use of force training examined at Steve Mesic inquest
• Mesicinquest brought to silence bySIUvideo of shooting scene

TheSIUcleared the officers involved in the shooting of any wrongdoing, but themandatory inquest is examining the chain of events that led up to shots being fired.

So far, the jury at the inquest has heard testimonies from both officers involvedin the shooting, two ofMesicsneighbours, the leadSIUinvestigator, and a seniorpsychologist from St. Josephs Hospital. The jury also visited the site of the shootingon Tuesday.

The jury will be called upon to make recommendations on how deathslikeMesicscan be prevented.

The inquest was scheduled last for 10 days, but will likely carry over to nextMonday.