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Police expenditures called into question


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#261 Rob Randall

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Posted 20 November 2008 - 09:05 PM

I am told that of the three finalists, Graham was far and away the best candidate and the new Mayors elect are fine with the decision, so everyone feels it's time to move on. Cops from Saanich and Victoria think Graham was the best choice and feel he'll do good for morale.

#262 spanky123

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Posted 20 November 2008 - 10:03 PM

Mat,

I don't have an issue with using consultants. What I have a problem with is Fortin suggesting that a 360 degree management style should be implemented and that a consultant should be hired to help do it.

A 360 degree management style is ludicrous for military / police systems that are based on rank and discipline.

#263 North Shore

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Posted 20 November 2008 - 10:36 PM

Cops from Saanich and Victoria think Graham was the best choice and feel he'll do good for morale.


Well, they would think that, considering the fact that he was disciplined in Vancouver for 'Discreditable Conduct' in a lack of cooperation between VPD members and the RCMP investigating the VPD for allegations of police brutalityhttp://straight.com/...ling-misconduct and his bullet-riddled 'gift' to the Vancouver city manager. One can't help but think that if any of the rest of us had done similar things, we'd have been charged with either obstruction of justice or uttering threats...

The best candidate? Must have been a pretty thin resume pile:rolleyes:

#264 Rob Randall

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Posted 20 November 2008 - 10:46 PM

I don't disagree.

#265 martini

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Posted 23 November 2008 - 03:31 PM

The news out of VicPD keeps getting better...CFAX



Dysfunctional is a term that comes to mind.

This story appeared in the Globe and Mail as well:


POLICING THE POLICE
Probe launched over allegations officer leaked confidential information
External investigation of 'senior sergeant' is latest in string of controversies for Victoria department

BRENNAN CLARKE

Special to The Globe and Mail

November 21, 2008

An external investigation has been started into allegations that a senior Victoria police officer leaked confidential police information to the public, the department revealed at a news conference yesterday.

Victoria Police Constable Grant Hamilton refused to discuss the nature of the information that was leaked or name the officer, citing the need to protect the integrity of the continuing investigation.

"I can confirm that the member is a senior sergeant with the Victoria Police Department," Constable Hamilton said.

"This is an allegation. If something substantial comes out of the investigation, then we probably would name the officer."
Print Edition - Section Front

Section S Front Enlarge Image
More National Stories

* Man makes tearful plea for expenses as wife awaits transplant
* Vancouver Games to face money hurdles, CEO says
* Defence ministers confident Afghan elections can go ahead
* Looking to youth to boost organ donation
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* Military hopes hard times mean more recruits
* Go to the National section

The Globe and Mail

Constable Hamilton would say only that police received a complaint on Sept. 11 involving "more than one allegation" that the officer disclosed confidential information.

Acting deputy police chief John Ducker reviewed the information over several weeks and then determined it was "prudent to involve an external disciplinary authority," Constable Hamilton said.

Under B.C.'s Police Act, forces are required to notify the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner of all formal complaints. The OPCC can order external investigations into alleged violations of the Police Act.

The alleged information leak is not related to any current Victoria Police Department investigations, Constable Hamilton said.

The investigation announced yesterday is the latest in a string of controversies for the department since the suspension in the fall of 2007 of former police chief Paul Battershill.

Mr. Battershill resigned in mid-August, less than a week before a scheduled B.C. Police Complaint Commission disciplinary hearing into allegations he had an "inappropriate relationship" with a service provider employed by the police department.

Also, Victoria police Sergeant George Chong, brother of Oak Bay-Gordon Head MLA Ida Chong, is facing assault charges related to an incident in a local bar on June 22.

The department has also been under scrutiny at a complaint commission hearing into a 2004 incident in which Victoria resident Thomas McKay suffered serious head injuries after he was arrested for public drunkenness.

And in recent weeks, the Victoria police board has faced criticism over its decision to hire a replacement for Mr. Battershill mere days before outgoing Mayor Alan Lowe is due to leave office.

Constable Hamilton said the latest case does not involve any criminal allegations, but declined to speculate on which Police Act statutes may have been broken.

Officers from the Abbotsford and Delta police will conduct the external review, while the Central Saanich deputy police chief will serve as disciplinary authority, he said.

If the allegations are proven true, the disciplinary authority has the power to impose a penalty ranging from suspension to dismissal of the officer in question.

The officer accused of leaking the information has been suspended with pay pending the outcome of the investigation, which is expected to take six months.
http://www.theglobea...PStory/National

#266 North Shore

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Posted 23 November 2008 - 06:35 PM

The officer accused of leaking the information has been suspended with pay pending the outcome of the investigation, which is expected to take six months.

Wow, where can I sign up, and with Ski season just around the corner, too!

#267 mat

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Posted 23 November 2008 - 08:40 PM

Wow, where can I sign up, and with Ski season just around the corner, too!


Only if you can prove your PTSD would be helped by a taxpayer/insurance paid ski trip, otherwise you might have to settle for the Bahamas and a 3 star massage resort.

#268 rjag

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Posted 24 November 2008 - 09:14 AM

Global morning news this morning announced that its Graham, havent heard anything on the local news though.....

#269 mat

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Posted 24 November 2008 - 10:38 AM

News conference at 2:30 will announce Jamie Graham as the new VicPD chief.

#270 martini

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Posted 29 November 2008 - 11:52 AM

Police sergeant accused of leak that sank chief
Inquiry into actions of veteran sergeant will put department under more scrutiny

Rob Shaw
Times Colonist

Saturday, November 29, 2008

A letter from a lawyer sparked questions about the conduct of then-police chief Paul Battershill.


A senior Victoria police sergeant who was suspended this month is accused of leaking the letter to the media that sparked the investigation into former police chief Paul Battershill.

The inquiry into Sgt. Jim Simpson's actions is poised to open a fresh round of scrutiny of the police department, and has the potential to dredge up a mess of information that has been shrouded in secrecy since Battershill resigned from the force Aug. 13 when the Victoria police board said it had lost confidence in his leadership.

Ten months before that, on Oct. 10, 2007, Battershill was put on leave after allegations of misconduct were raised by senior officers at an emergency police board meeting. That meeting was called after a letter from a local lawyer, which questioned Battershill's actions, was leaked to the media.

Although the police department won't identify the suspended officer, or detail the allegations against him, the Times Colonist has confirmed it is Simpson, the officer in charge of the police department's operational planning unit for major events such as Canada Day.

Simpson, who was suspended with pay earlier this month, could not be reached for comment. None of the allegations against him have been proven.

One of the allegations is that he provided "confidential information" in the form of a letter to A News TV reporter Stephen Andrew in October 2007. Andrew and A News director Hudson Mack declined to comment for this story.

The letter was written by Victoria lawyer David Mulroney, on behalf of local businessman Gerald Hartwig, to the Victoria police board. It expressed concerns that a law firm representing Battershill had intervened in a freedom of information request for the chief's expenses and the cost of severance packages for senior officers. While in the end that information proved largely unimportant, the letter triggered a meeting in which senior officers brought forward other concerns, including Battershill's affair with a labour lawyer contracted to provide advice to the police board.

After a six-month investigation, the RCMP did not substantiate many of the allegations against Battershill but said the chief discredited the force by having the affair. Subsequently, the police board said it lost confidence in Battershill and he resigned on Aug. 13.

Less than a month later, on Sept. 11, an investigation began into Simpson's actions. He is also the subject of two other allegations of distributing confidential material. None has been proven.

While department spokesman Sgt. Grant Hamilton declined to say where the allegations against Simpson came from, the Times Colonist has learned that it was the Victoria police board, acting on information from an interview the RCMP conducted with Simpson as part of its Battershill investigation.

Outgoing Victoria Mayor and police board chairman Alan Lowe was the only member of the board allowed to read the RCMP's final report, which included a transcript of Simpson's interview. The rest of the board relied on Lowe's verbal briefings.

Lowe, who was also a witness in the RCMP investigation given his close working relationship with Battershill, and was the discipline authority in the case, declined to comment for this story.

However, in a September interview with the Times Colonist, he expressed anger about the leak, blaming it for the public scrutiny of the allegations against Battershill.

"We would have probably dealt with it differently if the letter was not leaked to the media," Lowe said. "I would have preferred to handle it internally. ... We wouldn't have had all this media attention and wouldn't have had to put the Victoria Police Department through this."

The allegations against Simpson were first reviewed by interim deputy chief John Ducker, who decided to suspend the sergeant with pay. The case is now being investigated by the Abbotsford and Delta police, a process expected to take about six months. Central Saanich deputy police chief Clayton Pecknold has been named the discipline authority.

Under the Police Act's code of professional conduct, anything an officer does while off duty "in a manner that is likely to discredit the reputation of the municipal police department with which the police officer is employed" can be considered improper.

According to Bruce Brown, B.C.'s deputy police complaint commissioner, if Simpson is found guilty of the allegations, and "the recommended discipline is a written reprimand or more," he can demand a public hearing of the case.

Such a hearing, in which current and former police officers and politicians could be called as witnesses, could cast new light on the Battershill saga. However, it is unclear whether the RCMP report into Battershill, which has remained confidential until now, could be tabled as evidence. Brown said that would depend on the ruling of the adjudicator presiding over the proceedings.

Incoming Victoria mayor and police board chairman Dean Fortin declined comment and said he has not yet been briefed on the file.

rfshaw@tc.canwest.com



© Times Colonist (Victoria) 2008
http://www.canada.co...a9-7de5235bb4d2

#271 spanky123

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Posted 29 November 2008 - 03:13 PM

So in essence we have a whistleblower who provided information led at least indirectly to the discovery of a conflict of interest in the police department. We then have the police board via Alan Lowe who has now sought retaliation against the whistleblower for his actions.

Well I guess this means that there is no rest for either the new chief or mayor. No matter the outcome this will be a lose-lose for both.

#272 martini

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Posted 18 December 2008 - 11:09 PM

http://www.timescolo...9911/story.html

Fortin wants police board to read file on Battershill

Members oversee force but are still in dark on investigation into former chief

By Rob Shaw

December 18, 2008


New mayor Dean Fortin wants to lift secrecy.


Victoria's new mayor, Dean Fortin, is moving to lift at least some of the secrecy surrounding an RCMP investigation into former chief Paul Battershill.

Fortin said he wants to share the unreleased RCMP report with the Victoria Police Board, which is charged with overseeing the department but has not been allowed to read the actual investigative results.

"It definitely needs to be shared with the board members," Fortin told the Times Colonist yesterday.

"We have a responsibility to take a look and see if there are systemic issues. If I'm allowed to, I'd like to be able to share the information to the board."

Former mayor Alan Lowe, who was also a witness in the Battershill investigation, said he did not have legal permission to share the report. Instead, he briefed board members on what he deemed necessary.

Fortin said he'll check again with lawyers for permission.

The B.C. Police Act, which governs disclosure of police complaint investigations, does not explicitly say whether Fortin can release the file, said Bruce Brown, B.C.'s deputy police complaints commissioner.

Even if board members are allowed to read the file, Fortin said it would not be legally possible to let the public see the document.

Fortin was sworn in as police board chairman Tuesday night and said he hopes to read the full Battershill report himself for the first time in the next few weeks.

Battershill was suspended in October 2007, while the RCMP investigated allegations made against him by senior officers. Six Mounties spent 1,900 hours interviewing 37 people and examining 900 documents. The lengthy final report included transcripts of interviews.

The RCMP concluded only one allegation against Battershill could be substantiated -- an affair with a police board lawyer, to which he admitted -- and recommended a reprimand or short suspension. Nonetheless, the police board said it had lost confidence in his leadership and Battershill resigned on Aug. 13, 2008.

The RCMP report has remained highly confidential. Only the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner, the RCMP and Lowe were permitted to read the entire document.

Battershill was provided a summary and additional information as requested.

rfshaw@tc.canwest.com
© Copyright © The Victoria Times Colonist

#273 Holden West

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Posted 22 January 2009 - 03:00 PM

VPD releases photo of former police chief's infamous shooting target



"Beaver, ahoy!""The bridge is like a magnet, attracting both pedestrians and over 30,000 vehicles daily who enjoy the views of Victoria's harbour. The skyline may change, but "Big Blue" as some call it, will always be there."
-City of Victoria website, 2009

#274 martini

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Posted 26 January 2009 - 08:53 PM

Victoria Police to be audited:
http://www.ctvbc.ctv...ishColumbiaHome

#275 mat

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Posted 26 January 2009 - 09:06 PM

Victoria Police to be audited:
http://www.ctvbc.ctv...ishColumbiaHome


Thanks for posting that Martini - I noted it took the TC 8 hours to put a story on their website, and then it was a verbatim quote (plagarized?) from CTV.

A full audit of VicPD should have been carried out 18 months ago, well before Graham took over. This will take over a year to complete, and there is no guarantee of public input either during, or after.

As many of us have stated before - there is a true lack of accountability in monitoring our local and national police forces. Why do we require an audit? Where is the police board - does the audit cover them as well?

#276 martini

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Posted 09 January 2010 - 04:34 PM

Officer retires prior to hearing
Accused of leaking details about former chief Battershill

Times Colonist January 9, 2010
http://www.timescolo...3474/story.html

A Victoria police officer accused of leaking information to the media about the former chief has retired, avoiding a disciplinary hearing.

Simpson, an officer for more than 25 years who was in charge of the police department's operational planning unit for major events such as Canada Day, was suspended with pay in November 2008 while he was investigated for improper disclosure of classified information under the Police Act. He returned to work in April 2009, under newly appointed chief Jamie Graham, although the investigation continued.



 



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