The issue of racial profiling was raised when Montreal police officer Stephanie Pilotte was cross-examined Thursday morning at the coroner's inquest into the death Fredy Villanueva.
Pilotte's partner, Jean-Loup Lapointe, fired three shots at a park in Montreal North on Aug. 8, 2009, killing the 18-year-old.
The officers got into a confrontation with Fredy Villanueva's brother, Dany, who was playing dice with a group of youths at the park.
During the cross-examination, criminologist Francois Berard -- who works for a group called Mouvement Solidarite Montreal Nord -- questioned Pilotte about her knowledge of the neighbourhood.
"Are you aware that people are suspicious of police?" he asked.
"Yes," she responded. "But it all depends on how we work. I don't have a problem...a person is a person, no matter what his skin colour."
Pilotte also explained how officers are trained to defuse tense situations. First, they are supposed to try to calm a suspect. If that's not effective, they should make gentle physical contact. Force should be used as a last resort, she said.
Following the cross-examination, Berard told reporters he didn't question Pilotte's sincerity.
"I think she is a good police officer," he said.
But he said Pilotte and other police officers need to be given better training on how to deal with street gangs.
