RACIAL PROFILING IN TAKEDOWN?

Cop Says 'Mistakes Will Happen' After Lawyer Is Accused Of Having
Guns And Drugs

(CP) - A dramatic takedown of a black lawyer in an apparent case of
mistaken identity has heightened fears of racial profiling in a city
already on edge after months of gun violence.

"I wish I could tell you that this organization is a perfect
organization, that it's only the criminals we will stop, but we know
that mistakes will happen," Deputy Chief Keith Forde, Toronto's most
senior black officer, said yesterday. "This police service is not perfect."

Jason Bogle, the target of a terrifying takedown last week by
officers looking for the killer of Jane Creba, said there has been an
"overwhelming response" from the black community over the incident.

"This is a situation that a lot of young black males are cognizant of
and they never brought it to the forefront before," he said.

The officers eventually said he was the victim of mistaken identity
and explained they were "trying desperately" to solve the horrific
Boxing Day killing of 15-year-old Creba on Yonge St., Bogle said.

SURROUNDED BY CRUISERS

The 26-year-old man said he was sitting with his white girlfriend in
his parked Lexus on a west-end street after celebrating his birthday
last week when they were suddenly surrounded by several cruisers,
only one marked.

"One drove fast, stopped on a dime just before hitting my bumper,"
said Bogle, who counted 12 plainclothes officers surrounding his car.

Hands on holsters, the cops yanked his door open and accused him of
having drugs and guns, said Bogle, who grew up in the Malvern
neighbourhood in east Toronto.

At one point, Bogle showed his Ontario Bar Association card, and an
officer retorted, "so you're a lawyer and you sell drugs," Bogle said.

Humiliated and angry, Bogle said he plans to sue the force for $1.5
million for wrongful detention and inflicting emotional distress.

Toronto Police refused to discuss the takedown, but the officers
involved denied racial profiling accusations.

The officers had "legitimate reasons" to do what they did and went to
"extraordinary lengths" to explain them to Bogle, police spokesman
Mark Pugash said.