The Saskatchewan Federation of Police Officers says a La Ronge judge overstepped her bounds in a recent ruling.
Federation president Evan Bray says the issue revolves a decision made by Justice Felicia Daunt in late September.
He says the case involved a female suspect who had spit in the eyes of an RCMP officer who was leading her to cells.
The woman pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer.
The prosecution asked for a six-month incarceration on the basis that the attack caused stress on the officer who had to deal with the risk of contamination.
Bray notes Daunt sentenced the suspect to five days served and six months probation.
However, his main objection is about the comments that came along with the decision.
Daunt stated in her written ruling that the risk of injury after getting spit on was an “urban myth” and the anxiety that officers and their families feel isn’t justified.
Bray says the stress is very real — and he is calling for the decision to be appealed, as well as an apology from the judge to the officer:
“It’s fine to come down with a decision — but, to me, the editorial comments that came along with it were not justified, were not factual, and have now caused some undue hardship to police officers in our province and, potentially, all over Canada.”
The province recently announced that Daunt is transferring to Prince Albert with the appointment of a new provincial court judge in La Ronge.