Published: Saturday, February 03, 2007
WEST VANCOUVER A
special prosecutor was appointed Friday to decide if some West
Vancouver police officers as a result of allegations of misconduct ,
including reports that some officers were drinking in the police
station during parties.
Special prosecutor Harold
Rusk will carry out "an independent charge assessment" after the
conclusion of the continuing investigation by Victoria police officers
into "allegations of possible misconduct on the part of certain members
of the West Vancouver Police Department," the Ministry of the
Attorney-General said in a brief statement.
The West Vancouver police
department came under scrutiny following revelations that Const. Lisa
Alford was convicted of drunk driving after a drinking party with other
officers inside the police station. The incident occurred in November
2005.
Alford, whose blood-alcohol
level was three times the legal limit, pleaded guilty to impaired
driving after hitting another car. Her licence was suspended for a year
last January, but she was later awarded a promotion within her
department.
Victoria police are also
probing allegations that a nine-year veteran stole money meant for
victims of crime and that one or more officers had their personal
vehicles towed by the city's towing company.
After the media storm, West
Vancouver Police Chief Scott Armstrong was dismissed on Dec. 4 by the
West Vancouver Police Board. Armstrong, who was only a year into his
five-year contract, has since mounted a wrongful dismissal suit
Rusk's duties as special
prosecutor are to offer any legal advice required during the
investigation by Victoria police, read the investigators' final report
and decide if any charges are warranted. He is then to write a report
outlining his findings.
The request for a special prosecutor came from the Victoria police
force's Chief Const. Paul Battershill, who is overseeing the
investigation.
In an interview Friday,
Rusk
said it was too early to comment on the matter.
"I'm at the very early
stages
of this and I'm not totally clear exactly what we'll be dealing with,"
he said.
"I don't have a report from
Crown council yet," he added, referring to the ongoing Victoria police
investigation. "If they don't find any evidence of any wrongdoing,
there won't be much for me to do."
West Vancouver Mayor Pam
Goldsmith-Jones did not return calls about the matter on Friday.
After news of the incident
came to light, however, Goldsmith-Jones did make clear that drinking on
city property, including police headquarters, isn't appropriate.
We take this seriously," she
said at the time. "We have a zero-tolerance policy for consumption of
alcohol and drugs at work."
Vancouver Sun
Published:
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
No criminal charges will be
laid against members of the West Vancouver
Police Department over allegations of police misconduct.
Victoria lawyer Harold Rusk, who was appointed independent special
prosecutor in January to investigate the claims, said no charges were
warranted.
The claims of misconduct related to impaired driving by a West
Vancouver officer and allegations that another officer had
misappropriated funds meant for victims of crime.
Despite Rusk’s decision, the case is still under
investigation by the Police Complaints Commissioner, who will decide
whether disciplinary action should be taken.
West Vancouver Mayor Pam Goldsmith-Jones said the decision not to lay
criminal charges was “good news for the department.”
“It’s an important step in the process and
I’m glad the special prosecutor was involved to protect the
integrity of the police department.”
The request for a special prosecutor came from the Victoria
police force's Chief Const. Paul Battershill, who is overseeing the
ongoing police investigation.
His duties as special prosecutor included offering legal advice during
the investigation, reading the investigators' final report and deciding
iwhether charges should be laid.
Vancouver Sun
