Ottawa's police force has called in the Ontario Provincial Police to investigate two new allegations of abuse against prisoners in the force's cellblocks.
Acting Chief Gilles Larochelle said the cases involved both police officers and civilian employees and are currently before the courts.
"While we have highly competent investigators with skills and experience to conduct these investigations, I felt it was important to seek assistance from an outside agency, the Ontario Provincial Police," Larochelle said.
The allegations are in addition to the two previous cases shown on video that featured an officer kicking a prisoner and cutting a woman's shirt and bra off.
"We have a problem, no doubt about it, and we need to identify the issues so that we can take measures to correct them," Larochelle said.
The Ottawa police force is reviewing its detention policies and Police Chief Vern White admitted last week that public confidence has been "shaken" by the videos.
White called for the probe after police surveillance videos of historical incidents raised alarm bells. The investigators will examine flagged incidents to determine whether officers participated in any criminal wrongdoing.
A 2009 video released last week shows an officer kicking a homeless man, Terry Delay, as he is being dragged into a cell.
A 2008 video released in late November shows 27-year-old Stacy Bonds being kneed in the back by the same officer, Special Const. Melanie Morris. A group of officers then pins her to the ground, before her shirt and bra are cut off with a pair of scissors by Sgt. Steve Desjourdy.
Morris has been reassigned to desk duty pending an investigation. Special constables are not considered full members of the force, but have many of the same powers.
Ontario's Special Investigations Unit is examining both of those cases.
A judge ruled that Bonds' treatment by Ottawa police was an "indignity to a human being," throwing out charges against her.
Last week, the chief assigned a staff sergeant to look at previous incidents involving Ottawa police using excessive force in cell blocks.
