A former Yellowknife man is speaking out about an alleged years-old assault at the hands of Mounties while in custody. 

Travis Thomas was arrested and brought to Yellowknife cells on Sept. 30, 2013. Prior to his arrest, Thomas SA国际影视传媒� almost a year sober SA国际影视传媒� had an argument with his partner. Wrestling with emotions, he left home and drank SA国际影视传媒渁 lotSA国际影视传媒� at a downtown bar, he admitted. Intoxicated, Thomas later ran into a woman he knew at a downtown apartment building. A verbal altercation between the two ensued before Thomas left the area. Not long after, Thomas said he was stopped by Mounties who accused him of assaulting the woman.

Taken to jail, Thomas said he was pinned down in a cell by four officers SA国际影视传媒� one was kneeling on his back; another was kneeling on his knees. During the incident, Thomas said his head was SA国际影视传媒渟mashedSA国际影视传媒� against the cellsSA国际影视传媒� concrete floor repeatedly. 

SA国际影视传媒�(An officer) did it 20 times. They were telling me to stop resisting, and I was telling them I wasnSA国际影视传媒檛,SA国际影视传媒� recalled Thomas, who now lives in Edmonton. He recalled telling the officers he was going to sue them during the incident. 

He was later released and charged with assault and assaulting a peace officer. 

But when he received information and evidence from prosecutors more than a month later, he wasnSA国际影视传媒檛 notified of any video evidence of the incident recorded in cells, nor was he given any notice of a deadline to request footage. 

Peter Harte, ThomasSA国际影视传媒檚 lawyer at the time, asked for recordings from the Crown. If the allegation against his client was true SA国际影视传媒� if he assaulted a police officer SA国际影视传媒� it should be captured on cameras, he reasoned. 

In a subsequent Charter of Rights and Freedoms application from Harte, he stated that the Crown informed him in January 2014 that there was no footage.

SA国际影视传媒淐rown counsel advised that the cell video was not available as video is SA国际影视传媒榩urgedSA国际影视传媒� every 60 days,SA国际影视传媒� wrote Harte. In the Charter application that followed, citing an accusedSA国际影视传媒檚 right to be made aware of any relevant evidence possessed by the Crown or the police, Harte called for ThomasSA国际影视传媒� charges to be stayed. 

Prosecutors eventually dropped both charges.

In a recent interview, Harte said he believes the second charge was stayed because the footage had been erased, as per protocol. 

Harte isn't suggesting wrongdoing by the , but rather pointing out that the detachmentSA国际影视传媒檚 system SA国际影视传媒� which apparently saw footage being deleted on a set schedule SA国际影视传媒� had evidently left his client, and the case as a whole, bereft of a key piece of evidence. 

SA国际影视传媒� processes evolve with technologySA国际影视传媒� 

Video footage within the detachment is still deleted routinely, unless it's tied to an ongoing criminal case, according to Yellowknife . 

SA国际影视传媒淥ur retention policy is 30 days, unless it is requested for court. If it's the case, they are kept for the duration of the retention linked to the operational file,SA国际影视传媒� stated spokesperson Julie Plourde in an email, adding there are SA国际影视传媒渧arying retention periods depending on the subject of the file.SA国际影视传媒� 

According to Harte, that would mean the police are holding onto footage, captured in every cell at the Yellowknife detachment for 30 days less than when Thomas was allegedly assaulted while in custody. 

Asked to confirm whether the retention period has in fact been cut in half since ThomasSA国际影视传媒� arrest, Plourde said police SA国际影视传媒渃annot speak to what technology or processes may have been guided by the available technology at the timeSA国际影视传媒� because SA国际影视传媒� processes evolve with technology.SA国际影视传媒� 

Addressing ThomasSA国际影视传媒檚 allegations that he was beaten while in cells, Plourde said all claims of undue force are taken seriously by . 

SA国际影视传媒淎ccording to your information, the charges were dropped, so they have already been dealt with by the justice system and the respects these processes,SA国际影视传媒� stated Plourde. 

Asked why and under what circumstances video footage was deleted in ThomasSA国际影视传媒檚 case, SA国际影视传媒 was directed to an access to information and privacy procedure.

SA国际影视传媒淲e do not have the authority to disclose this informationSA国际影视传媒�,SA国际影视传媒� said Plourde. 

Thomas said he waited years to speak out about the alleged assault because he was intimidated. Since his early 20s, he said he was often unfairly targeted by Mounties; later SA国际影视传媒渉arassedSA国际影视传媒� by officers following convictions for cannabis related offences when he was younger. 

Thomas said he never filed a formal complaint against the as a result of those fears. 

It wasnSA国际影视传媒檛 until Thomas witnessed recent Black Lives Matter protests in the U.S, which spurred demonstrations against police brutality in the North and across the globe, that he decided to speak out. 

SA国际影视传媒淚 saw whatSA国际影视传媒檚 been happening. I just knew it was the right time to expose what happened to me,SA国际影视传媒� said Thomas. 

Surveillance practices scrutinized in the past

In 2010, a Yellowknife constable was acquitted of assaulting an intoxicated man SA国际影视传媒� left with a cut on his head SA国际影视传媒� while the man was in custody at the detachment. 

A territorial court judge ruled video evidence presented at trial appeared to show the complainant trip over himself and fall. The video shown, however, wasnSA国际影视传媒檛 from cells where the man maintained the assault took place. 

Court heard the Mountie who reviewed video footage of the incident only selected what he thought was relevant SA国际影视传媒� footage of the cell block where the man appeared to trip. 

SA国际影视传媒 reported that cell footage was deleted six months after the incident. 

At the time of the MountieSA国际影视传媒檚 acquittal, Sgt. Brad Kaeding said policies had changed. 

In the event of a complaint, "all camera angles will be preserved,SA国际影视传媒� he told SA国际影视传媒 in November 2010. 

SA国际影视传媒業 want justiceSA国际影视传媒� 

While Thomas has no plans of filing a complaint against the , he hopes that by speaking out, the police will be held to a higher level of accountability and transparency. 

SA国际影视传媒淚 want justice,SA国际影视传媒� he said. "ISA国际影视传媒檓 not a savage, ISA国际影视传媒檓 a human being. Just because I am a Native being, ISA国际影视传媒檓 still a being. I have a heart.SA国际影视传媒�