Rob Shaw, Vancouver, B.C. (Vancouver Sun) – A suspended senior police sergeant has been accused of leaking a letter to the media that sparked an investigation into former police chief Paul Battershill.
The inquiry into Sgt. Jim Simpson’s actions will likely trigger a fresh round of scrutiny of the police department and may reopen a controversy around Battershill’s resignation from the force in August, after the Victoria Police Board said it had lost confidence in his leadership.
Battershill was put on leave in October 2007 following allegations of misconduct made by senior officers at an emergency police board meeting. A letter from a local lawyer questioning Battershill’s actions had been leaked to the media.
The police department would not identify the officer, but Canwest News Service has confirmed it is Simpson, the officer in charge of operational planning unit for major events. Simpson, who was suspended with pay this month, could not be reached for comment. None of the allegations against him has been proven.
One allegation is that he provided “confidential information,” in the form of a letter, to television news reporter Stephen Andrew in October 2007. The letter was written to the police board by Victoria lawyer David Mulroney on behalf of local businessman Gerald Hartwig.
It expressed concerns 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.
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. An RCMP investigation then found the chief had discredited the force by having the affair. That led to the non-confidence vote and Battershill’s resignation.
On Sept. 11, an investigation began into Simpson’s actions.
Police spokesman Sgt. Grant Hamilton would not say who made the allegations against Simpson, but it is believed they came from the police board on the basis of an RCMP interview with Simpson.
Outgoing 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 a witness in the RCMP investigation, would not comment. In September, he expressed anger about the leak.
“We would have probably dealt with it differently if the letter was not leaked to the media,” Lowe said at the time. “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.”
Simpson’s case is being investigated by the Abbotsford and Delta police.
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