~Internal investigation found that the required procedure was not followed; the officer has resumed duties.~
PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Justice Nathalie Tackling has confirmed that the police officer involved in the widely circulated school bus incident was not formally suspended and has since resumed his duties.
However, Tackling revealed that the internal investigation was not limited to the brief physical interaction captured on video.
Police management was also concerned that the minor was removed from the school bus, placed inside a police vehicle and later left alone at a bus stop instead of being taken to the police station, where his parents should have been summoned.
“The procedure, which is to bring the child to the station and invite the parents in for a conversation about his conduct, was not followed,” Tackling told Wednesday’s Council of Ministers press briefing.
According to the Minister, leaving the minor alone at the bus stop placed the child in a potentially dangerous situation.
The parents subsequently filed a formal complaint.
Tackling said the officer touching the child’s face while attempting to make his point, together with what happened after the video-recorded interaction, led to the internal investigation.
“What concerned management was not only the moment that was captured on video. It was what came after,” the Minister said.
Internal Affairs interviewed the students, the school bus driver and the police officers involved.
Officer Taken Off the Street, Not Suspended
The Minister sought to correct repeated public claims that the officer had been suspended.
She explained that police management temporarily took the officer off street duty to allow the preliminary investigation to proceed objectively. The investigation later determined that a formal suspension was unnecessary, and the officer resumed his regular duties.
“Taking an officer off the street in that way is not a punishment, and it is not a suspension,” Tackling said. “It is a measure in order to let the investigation run cleanly and objectively.”
Tackling said the same procedure was followed in the separate police-involved shooting investigation. In both cases, the officers concerned were removed from street duty while preliminary investigations were conducted.
In both matters, investigators concluded that formal suspensions were unnecessary, and the officers returned to duty.
“That is equal treatment,” the Minister said, rejecting public claims that police officers involved in different investigations were being treated inconsistently.
Officer and Parents Working Toward Resolution
During the question-and-answer session, Tackling said that, as of Wednesday morning, the matter was being resolved between the minor’s parents and the police force.
She urged members of the public to avoid reaching conclusions before all the facts of an incident have been established.
“A few seconds of a video cannot show you the whole picture, and it cannot give you all the facts,” Tackling said.
She added that a video clip should not, by itself, form the basis for passing judgment before an investigation is complete.
“Truth-finding should happen before trial by social media,” the Minister said.
Tackling acknowledged that the police are being asked to maintain order while dealing with a younger generation that increasingly challenges authority. However, she maintained that police officers must still meet the professional standards required of them.
“Respect for police authority is not optional. But neither is the professionalism that earns that respect,” she said.
The Minister also addressed the public support and proposed gifts for the officer. She said police officers generally cannot accept gifts without authorization from their department head or the required ministerial approval.
Tackling said the Ministry would provide further clarification regarding the regulations governing gifts to police officers and other civil servants.
Proper Procedure Explained
The Minister said that when a minor flagrantly disrespects a police officer, the child should be taken to the police station and the parents should be called in.
A discussion should then take place with the parents concerning the child’s behavior.
“That child should be taken to the station. Parents should be brought in, and a discussion should take place with the parents,” Tackling explained.
She also confirmed that approximately 67 or 68 children were under some form of supervision by Judicial and Institutional Services when she last received the relevant figures about a month ago.
These cases often arise from reports made by schools or other institutions and may involve an examination of the child’s family circumstances. Tackling said that not all of the children are in foster care, but their families remain under government supervision.
The Minister agreed that a minor's criminal involvement should trigger an examination of that child’s home environment. She said such assessments may already be taking place but promised to verify whether an investigation is automatically initiated whenever a minor becomes involved in criminal activity.
