Regina cop previously charged with on-duty assault now charged with assaulting detainees

A member of the Regina Police Service who was charged in 2017 with assaulting a man during an arrest is now charged with assault stemming from a different on-duty incident.

Cpl. Colin Bradley Magee, 46, a 17-year-member of Regina Police Service, has been charged with two counts of assault stemming from incidents in September of 2018.

Magee was on duty when the assaults are alleged to have occurred.

The incidents the charges stem from happened in the detention area of Regina Police Service and involved an adult man and a male youth, according to a news release. Both victims have been informed of the charges.

According to a news release issued by the Regina Police Service, the charges stem from an investigation by the Public Complaints Commission.

As per The Police Act, 1990, Magee has been reassigned to administrative duties pending the outcome of the criminal process. He will not be in contact with the public.

Regina Police Chief Evan Bray said at a news conference Tuesday that Magee was charged earlier that morning.

"We take an assault charge very seriously," Bray said.

"We're not above the law and we need to be able to make sure we can hold ourselves to the same standards."

Bray said he's going to respect the criminal and administrative processes before he makes any final decision on Magee's future with the Regina Police Service.

Magee will appear in court on May 27.

Previously referred to alternative measures program

This is not the first time Magee has been accused of violence on duty.

In 2017 he was charged with assault after allegedly using excessive force in 2016 when arresting James Escamilla. Two years later that case was referred to Regina Alternative Measures Program, to Escamilla's dismay.

Escamilla told CBC News at the time that he had hoped to see the matter resolved through a court process as opposed to alternative measures programing and was worried there would be no repercussions for Magee's actions.

Bray said the service does not have the ability to suspend officers without pay.

They can tell officers to go home with pay, assign officers to administrative roles or place them in modified, police-related duties.

"In July of 2017 [Magee] was placed on administrative duties which meant no contact with the public," Bray said.

He said that once Regina Police found the previous charge was moving to mediation, Magee was moved to detention to fill an opening there.

It's a decision he said he might do differently in light of the most recent assault allegations against Magee.

Bray said Magee started working in the detention facility in early 2018.

"At the end of the day, each situation is so dynamic, so asking me if I would do it all over again, I guess it would depend on the circumstances and the situation," Bray said. "I might make decisions differently, but I made that decision thinking that it was a good fit."

He said that Magee was placed to work in the detention facility because there are audio and video recording capabilities there that would allow police to review Magee's actions if another incident ever came up. Bray said he has not reviewed the video or audio of these latest incidents himself, so as to remain objective throughout the process.

He said he hopes that the charges against Magee don't harm the public's perception of Regina Police Service.

"This is a rare occasion that we find ourselves in this situation," Bray said. "I would hope that the public feels that this is another step towards accountability and transparency in our organization."