Fireworks at the meeting of the Victoria Police Board
meeting, regarding the appointment of Jamie Graham
as the next Chief Constable of the Victoria Police Force.
Serious questions are being raised about the process
wherein Graham moved to the top of the list of candidates,
which included acting Chief Bill Naughton.
Victoria police board member quits over hiring
of new chief
CBC News.
Catherine Holt, a member appointed to the board, has
been reported to bring forward a motion at an in camera
meeting to learn more about the process. Her motion was
defeated, although we don't know by how many votes.
It appears she wanted more transparency and openness
around the decision-making of the process around the
selection and appointment of the winning candidate.
She also explained she thought that the appointment should
wait for the new mayor-elects of Victoria, Dean Fortin and
Esquimalt, Barb Desjardins, Chair and Vice Chair of the police
board, to be sworn in, before this important decision was made.
Ms. Holt also stated that she believed that the new Chair and
Vice Chair should be involved in that appointment.
Once her motion was defeated, Ms. Holt felt she could not
continue to participate in the process and she resigned her
position on the Victoria Police Board.
Holt said she couldn't remain a member of the outgoing
board and live up to her public duty if it planned to hire a
new police chief during its final days.
"There is public concern about the process, this
board and the candidate, and an incoming chair
and vice-chair have been identified, and in any
public governance situation I know of, those
people should be able to make the final decision,"
said Holt.
Barb Desjardins, speaking to the media, also pointed out
that Graham is considered a "controversial" person and
she too wants to know about the process of his selection
and why a recommendation was made if he was the
person selected. Seems reasonable to me, since she and
incoming Chair of the police board, Fortin, will have to
manage any problems that might arise out of this
appointment and ongoing business of the force.
See for yourself one of the only media pieces that exists
right now. Select Top Story for the News Final.
Late in the day, CBC finally posted a story on this.
It's quite interesting how this has been handled by the
media. On last night's Final News, GlobalTV mentioned
the story briefly, not nearly as detailed as the story on
their website here.
A story in the Victoria Times Colonist was removed for
most of the day, but late in the day was restored.
I suspect lawyers have been busy making phone calls
this morning.
Victoria police board member quits over hiring of
new chief
Says she's unhappy with decision to hire new police chief
before new mayors are on the job
Lowe said Holt's resignation was a surprise.
"To not have a motion passed and resign on the spot
doesn't do that position much justice," said Lowe, who
added Holt was removed from the selection committee
because of "conflict of interest."
The process has taken six months and cannot start
again as it would take another three months before
someone could be hired and some candidates would
not be willing to go through it again, Lowe said.
Fortin and Desjardins were at the board meeting as
observers to be briefed on the hiring process.
After the meeting, Desjardins said she was satisfied
and Fortin, who, before he was elected, asked for
the choice to be delayed, said he was ready to
live with the decision.
"The board makes the decision and it's our responsibility
to move forward when the contracts are finalized.
This is about building for the future," said Fortin,
who will be asking for an external review of the
police department."
I think Mr. Fortin might want to expand the
terms of reference for that review to examine
outgoing Mayor Alan Lowe's actions as Chair of
the Police Board through the whole messy business.
His comments about Ms. Holt being removed from the selection
process is very, very curious. Why would he tell the public
and media something like that and label it conflict of interest,
when Ms. Holt appears to be the one who was quite transparent
and excused herself from the final selection because of potential
bias against two of the candidates, because she was a witness in
an investigation. More and more questions arise about it all.
New questions also arise as to whether Graham will now be
subject to disciplinary action after being found guilty of
"disreputable conduct" under the Police Act for his failure
to cooperate in the investigation of police misconduct by
the RCMP regarding the 50 affidavits submitted by
Pivot Legal Society on behalf of Vancouver citizens who
complained of abuse at the hands of police.
PCC's Decision Ordering Investigation into 3rd Party
Complaint Against Vancouver Chief Constable Graham
The final nail in the coffin though is the recent report issued
by Delta, B.C.
Police Chief Jim Cessford, who found Graham guilty
of "disreputable conduct" under the Police Act.
Cessford stated: "It is my view that there is clear
and convincing evidence that Chief Graham
committed, through his inaction, the Code of
Conduct offence of discreditable conduct."
This is no small issue, a thorough investigation, by another
police official, found former Chief Constable Jamie Graham
guilty of breaching theCode of Professional Conduct in failing
to cooperate and ensure cooperationby officers under his
authority in the investigation into complaints of disreputable
conduct, including physical assaults against marginalized
and vulnerable citizens, many of whom have poor physical
and mentalhealth, by some officers of the Vancouver Police
Department.
Apparently the Office of the Police Complaints
Commissioner won't comment until the appointment is
confirmed. No-one from the Victoria Police Board is
willing to confirm Graham got the job.
Sounds like management material for Victoria to me. One
thing we might be wonder is that if Graham, or his people
in blue happen to stumble on some unseemly, or harmful
information in "Politiciantown" if he might be a better bet
for keeping it under wraps than other selections.
One has to seriously question the judgment and smarts of the
Police Board over this hiring. We can't even begin to figure out
the dynamics at play within the Victoria Police Depart-
ment, but I can't fathom why this Board would appoint
someone with such a seriously flawed public record of managing
in his previous gig as Chief Constable of the Vancouver
Police Department. It's not like his past is hidden away.
Graham has a well established history of showing public
and open disregard for the rights of poor citizens and for
the Police Act he was working under. He dismissed the
findings of the RCMP that some of the affidavits had merit
and apparently encouraged members not to cooperate
with the RCMP in that investigation.
Prior to hiring him and putting him on Victoria's
books, a little due diligence might be in order.
A good question to ask on behalf of the citizens
of Victoria - just how many investigations has
Jamie Graham been the subject of over his
career in policing? It's a pretty relevant question.
Another little tid bit many may not remember is that
Graham, as Vancouver's Police Chief, overspent one
year's budget by $5 million. At the time I couldn't help
but wonder why he wasn't terminated then.
If any CEO overspent like that, and that is what a Chief
Constable is, they are fired in the private sector. So why
was it okay for that to happen in the civil service? His
overspending was absorbed by the City of Vancouver
and its' taxpayers.
From BC Liberals Suck: Vancouver City Police news
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Vancouver's top cop highest paid city employee
CBC News, (Jun 7 2005). VANCOUVER –
Vancouver's chief of police was the highest paid employee
on the civic payroll last year. According to the city's 2004
statement of financial information, Chief Jamie Graham
took home more than $223,000. But a police spokesperson
says that amount included back pay for missed vacation time
and a $16,000 bonus. The board decided not to pay
Graham a bonus this year.
Police chief defends overspending
CBC News, (Oct 29 2004). VANCOUVER –
Vancouver Police Chief Jamie Graham isn't making any
apologies for the fact his department has come up more
than $5 million over budget.
FROM OCT. 28, 2004: Police spending drives city into red
Police Accountability Endorsed
By charlie smith, (2-Dec-2004 ). The Georgia Straight.
From BC Revolution: Graham's Incompetence
A litany of media stories and quotes abouth Graham's
very public role as top cop in Vancouver.
Some particularly important ones:
Vancouver Police Chief spending taxpayers money
like he is the King of Vancouver.
October 29, 2004
November 9, 2004
To bring you all up to date, the above mentioned
"over-expenditure of five million dollars" is not at
all the result of "unexpected expenditures", as hard
to believe as that already is to accept. Rather it is
in fact a continuation of a pattern of over-expenditure
that saw this same "Chief" of the VPD spend more
than three million more LAST YEAR than he
was lawfully allowed under BOTH the Vancouver
Charter AND Police Act.
Here is another VERY interesting bit entitled:
CTV exposes Graham's connection to Hong Kong
criminal network. Click on the video link under the
Graham's Incompetence collection of stories.
"Ho has been transferring large sums of money to
various VPD fundraisers. Ho is filmed in the above video
at a VPD ODD squad fundraiser dinner."
Ho has been reported to contribute money to the
Vancouver Police Foundation.
The stories mention "Ho was caught by the VPD with
a large sum of cocaine, yet the VPD dismissed all
charges...."
"Ho's family is one of the many Hong Kong members of the
Big Circle crime syndicate that was recently exposed
(in a W5 passport scandal report) as having close ties to
the upper brass within the RCMP and Federal government. "
VPD says Graham will be cleared in current
controversy
By Charlie Smith. Georgia Straight. Dec. 1 2005.
Vancouver police Chief Jamie Graham is being investigated
under the Police Act in connection with donations to the
Vancouver Police Foundation.
According to the VPD release, a "senior member" of the
department had concerns about tax issues and asked
for a review by the RCMP commercial crime section. "
The results of the investigation conducted by the RCMP,
assisted by the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency,
was that there was no wrongdoing by anyone and that
was confirmed by a Special Prosecutor appointed by the
Attorney General's office," the VPD stated.
The VPD claimed in its news release that media falsely
stated that Ho had paid for hotel rooms at a conference
of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police in Vancouver
in 2004. "
In any mass conference booking of hotel rooms it is
common for the hotel to include a few complimentary
rooms," the VPD purported. "Chief Graham and two
other executives of the CACP stayed in those rooms and
all others were billed."
The VPD also insisted in the news release that Graham
will be cleared because the investigation concerns the
same issue that the RCMP already reviewed.
Ho is a former Vancouver police-board member
and owner of MCL Motor Cars. Several years ago,
the Burrard Street dealership supplied a Jaguar,
decked out in RCMP colours, to the North Vancouver
RCMP detachment for community relations. At the
time, Graham was the commanding officer in North
Vancouver.
Vancouver police chief faces investigation
CBC News.
Vancouver police Chief Jamie Graham is under investigation
by the Police Complaints Commissioner for leaving a
used target practice sheet with bullet holes through the
head of the silhouette on the desk of the city manager.
The chief had written on the sheet:
"A bad day at the range is better than the best day at work."
**********************************************
After the gong show that the whole Battershill fiasco
turned into and read more about that saga here, I think
it's a really fair question: why didn't the Board see fit
to promote from within? Why was Bill Naughton
good enough to be promoted and sit in the Chief's
Chair at one of the worst times in the force's history,
serving for over a year, but he wasn't deemed
suitable, or good enough for the permanent job?
I agree wholeheartedly with Ms. Holt that Victoria citizens
and taxpayers deserve more transparency and information
about the process for Graham's appointment. What makes
this quite interesting is Ms. Holt is a BC Liberal appointee
to the Victoria Police Board. She's also a well respected
management consultant with the Sage Group of
Management Consultants.
For someone with Ms. Holt's experience and calibre to be
so deeply concerned about the process and timing of
Graham's appointment we should all be listening. The fact
that she would take such a public stand in resigning from
the Board over this is a signal that there is much more to
the story than people are being told and I think it is a
sign of deep integrity for Ms. Holt to show courage in
standing up for her convictions.
Too bad the rest of the current and future Victoria
Police Board don't appear to be quite as interested in
transparency and due diligence as Ms. Holt and Ms.
Desjardins. I suspect the potential folly of that will be
seen in the future, depending on the choice the Vic
Police Board makes. And they should choose wisely,
many are watching.
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