TENILLE TELLMAN
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Details surrounding complaints of indecent exposure were not portrayed clearly to the public, the Medicine Hat Police Service said Monday.
Medicine Hat Police Chief Andy McGrogan says three complaints of indecent exposure near two schools in Crescent Heights last week are being taken very seriously, but some of the information shared with the public through schools and media relations could have been confusing.
“We gave some wrong information out there, there’s no doubt about it,” said McGrogan, stressing the miscommunication was not intentional.
The first two calls of incidents of indecent exposure were received on Monday, Nov. 24. The calls were received by two separate constables and both started investigations and inquiries that day.
The third complaint, about a similar incident on Friday, Nov. 21, was not reported to police until Wednesday, Nov. 26. The witness reporting that particular incident was the one who provided police with details which linked them to the suspect.
Considering the age of the witnesses, police needed to know what they were dealing with in order to react appropriately and they did not have that information until the third report came in, McGrogan explained.
Following the third complaint, police were able to locate and question a suspect. They are continuing to actively investigate the file.
“We are taking it seriously.”
Police need probable grounds to arrest an individual for indecent exposure, unless the suspect is caught in the act.
Because the suspect made no attempt to threaten or lure children to the vehicle, the threshold for charges is different, he added.
The schools were informed about the Nov. 24 complaints the following day, he added. It was the school administration’s decision to send a letter home to parents and some of the information and wording in that letter was not necessarily accurate, he added.
While the police could have done a better job communicating the circumstances of the situation, “I don’t want that confused with us not taking this serious and not trying our best to get a case forward that would allow us to charge somebody, that is our No. 1 goal,” said McGrogan.
“I don’t want the most important fact to get missed, that we care about the safety of our kids in this community and we’re doing what we can to keep them safe.” |
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