Editor,

RE: IIO report clears officer in fatal 2024 shooting of Surrey mom

The decision by the Independent Investigations Office (IIO) to clear officers involved in the killing of Vanessa Renteria Valencia is a disappointing one. It is not, however, an unexpected one, and again raises serious questions about police oversight in Canada.

The IIO has a very sparse record of recommending charges against police. For example, of 127 investigations in 2018-19, it referred only three cases for potential charges to the Crown. This is echoed across Canada where of the hundreds of instances where a police officer killed a civilian, less than four per cent have resulted in charges.

One problem, as highlighted in Vanessa’s case, is that police are often the only eyewitnesses when they kill. So, th

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