Mother of man who died calls for changes to how drunk people are treated by police

The mother of a man who died in a cell at the Halifax police station last year says changes are needed in how intoxicated people are treated by law enforcement.

Corey Rogers, 41, was found unresponsive in a Halifax Regional Police cell just before 2 a.m. on June 16, 2016. He had been picked up by police about three hours earlier and arrested for public intoxication.

His mother, Jeannette Rafuse Rogers, acknowledges her son was drunk when he was arrested. But she believes he was so intoxicated he should have gotten medical attention, instead of being confined to a cell.

"To my mind, it was wrong right from the get-go," she told CBC News. "I'd like to see changes made within the police department."

Rafuse Rogers, a retired psychiatric nurse, said she believes a nurse should be on duty at the police cells. In her son's case, paramedics were called by police but it was too late to help him.

It isn't the first time a Nova Scotia police force has been scrutinized for its treatment of those in custody. A 2012 report into the death of Victoria Paul, who was arrested for public intoxication by Truro Police, made several recommendations.

Rafuse Rogers doesn't believe those recommendations have been implemented widely enough.

Just welcomed a daughter

She last saw her son the afternoon before he died. Corey Rogers had just welcomed a baby daughter his fourth child days beforehand and his mother took him shopping for a cradle that day.

She said he seemed to be in good health, so she was shocked to learn the next day that he was dead. Rafuse Rogers said she's determined to learn why her son died and to prevent other deaths.

"I've done a lot of detective work by myself it's really consumed my whole life for the past year."

Watchdog investigation

Corey Rogers's death is also the subject of an investigation by Nova Scotia's Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT). The independent police watchdog is called in to investigate all serious incidents involving police, whether or not there are allegations of wrongdoing.

On Wednesday, the Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service said it has asked the Manitoba Prosecution Service to step in and take over providing legal advice to SIRT on the Rogers case. The Manitoba Crown will also prosecute any criminal charges that may result from the investigation.

"As we examined the material being gathered by SIRT, it became apparent the prosecution service was in conflict," Martin Herschorn, director of public prosecutions, said in a press release.

"To avoid any conflict of interest or appearance of conflict, the involvement of another prosecution service is necessary to ensure public confidence in the PPS and in the administration of justice."

'A long, drawn-out process'

The prosecution service declined to discuss any details about the potential conflict of interest. Spokesperson Chris Hansen said that information could compromise the ongoing investigation.

Jeannette Rafuse Rogers said she met with both SIRT and the prosecution service this week, and believes the investigation is still far from wrapping up.

"It's frustrating that it's taken so long," she said. "[Prosecutors] got the file in January and it took them until now to determine there was a conflict of interest.

"It's been a long, drawn-out process and it makes it really hard to grieve."

However, Hansen said it isn't unusual for these types of investigations to take a year or more in order to be complete and thorough.

"These things take time, that is one of the frustrations that everybody feels," she said.