Members of the Pelican Narrows RCMP are asking people to come out to the town’s elementary school at 6:00 this evening for a town hall meeting.
Local Mounties are hoping to gather feedback from members of the community that they can then implement in their plan for the next fiscal year, which begins on April 1.
Staff Sergeant Dean Lerat also says he will be able to address concerns regarding two Facebook videos posted earlier this month that showed RCMP officers in a confrontation with a group of women in the community.
“Certainly I can answer any questions on that. What I can say is that incident is under investigation and we have professional standards members from headquarters that are looking at that,” says Lerat. “Things in policing, in the policing world, are stressful and my goal going forward is to have a relationship between myself, my members and the community that we can deal with things, especially in conflict situations, in a more positive manner.”
One of the videos of the confrontation had been viewed over 105,000 times as of the morning of March 21.
The RCMP detachment in Pelican Narrows is comprised of Lerat, two corporals and 12 constables.
(PHOTO: Image of video capturing February confrontation between women and Mounties in Pelican Narrows. Facebook video courtesy of Geraldine Merasty.)