Jeff Berg died from injuries suffered when he was arrested by Vancouver police and his sister says there are other stories such as his.

"My story is not unique, there is a disturbing pattern here that needs to be fixed, and something has to happen to bring change and make us feel as though we are protected," Julie Berg-Wyman told CTV.ca.

Berg-Wyman has formed a coalition that wants to change the way investigations into police misconduct are handled. A rally was held at the Vancouver Art Gallery Sunday afternoon to highlight the issue.

The Vancouver Police Department has faced allegations of brutality and misconduct in a series of recent high-profile cases.

Earlier this year, six officers were charged in connection with the beatings of three men in Stanley Park. Other allegations of police misconduct emerged after a riot broke out when a Guns N' Roses concert was cancelled last November.

B.C.'s new police complaints commissioner, Dirk Ryneveld, reopened the Frank Paul case after releasing a copy of a police surveillance video in late June. Paul died after he was released from a Vancouver drunk tank.

The tape shows Paul being dragged by his arms out towards an alley. The aboriginal man died hours later of hypothermia after being left in near-freezing temperatures in December 1998.

"I believe they need to be totally overhauled. This is probably one of the most corrupt forces in Canada, I think it makes the LAPD look like saints. They have been operating under, I believe, a corrupt culture for years," Berg-Wyman said.

In her brother's death, the Vancouver police cleared their officers of any wrongdoing following an internal investigation of the October 2000 incident. The department stands by that conclusion, but Ryneveld ordered a public hearing in June.

Ryneveld said the VPD investigation may have been flawed when he ordered the hearing. He cited conflicting testimony and said witnesses should be questioned while under oath and subject to cross-examination.

An autopsy concluded Berg died from an aneurysm that was brought on by a blow to the neck. On the night of his arrest, police stopped Berg outside a marijuana grow operation.

The VPD told Berg-Wyman that her brother had resisted arrested. She believed there was a cover-up and hired two private investigators who tracked down witnesses, including one who had videotaped part of the incident.

"He was gun-butted to the head, then kicked twice in the head like a soccer ball and then dragged on the pavement. That was unnecessary -- so he died a violent death," Berg-Wyman said.

Const. Sarah Bloor said the VPD was satisfied with the result of their investigation, adding that it was sent to Crown counsel and came back with no charge. She said the department would co-operate fully with any public hearing process.

"On the rally itself, the Vancouver Police Department certainly realizes that it is everyone's right to publicly state their opinion. We are aware of the situation. We will have a police presence, as we would for any demonstration that would occur in the city," she said ahead of the protest.

A petition requesting a judicial inquiry into the practice of police investigating themselves was circulated at the rally. Berg-Wyman believes an independent body should be in charge of such investigations.