i Police morale suffering

ONE of the stories
dominating the head-
lines this past week
was the situaticn with-
in the Vancouver
Police Department,
resulting from a rela-
tively routine fight call
at the Roxy Cabaret.

On a hot August night
downtown patrol officers
responded to an affray at the
popular Granville Street
nightclub.

Upon arrival, the cops
managed to settle down all
the combatants, save one.

A huiking, “juiced up”
biker associate named Dave
Davidson.

Seemingly unable or
unwilling to calm down, the
38-year-old adolescent
talked himself into handcuffs
and a night in jail.

Davidson, the son of for-
mer Socred Speaker of the
House, Walter Davidson,
got trussed up and had to
be carried, face dow n, from
the club to the waiting
paddy wagon.

No casy feat given his
huge size and the struggle
he put up.

It was because of the
struggle, the three officers
carrying him lost their hold
and dropped him on the
sidewalk.

Oops!

Allegedly, he then struck
his cheek on the concrete in
the process.

A couple of days later he
marched into police head-
quarters to whine about
being mistreated. An inter-
nal investigation into the
allegation was launched.

As is customary, the
internal investigators gath-
‘ered all the available evi-

‘dence and submitted their
report to Crown counsel for
determination relative to
applicable charges, if any.

This is done. to ensure -
the independence of any
decision made.

When this was done in
mid-February, the new .
Chief Constable committed
his most recent blunder.
“He suspended the three
officers, somehow forgetting

+. there had been no determi--

nation of guilt by either a
criminal court or discipli-
- nary tribunal and in direct
contravention to advice
given him by the Internal
Investigation squad.
Apparently in Chief
Bruce Chambers’ world

-

crime and
punishment

there is no presumption of
innocence despite that pesky
Charter of Rights and
Freedoms.

Predictably, the police
union squaw ked loudly over
this violation of the officers”
rights.

The chief had to back off
and reinstate the three offi-

“Apparently in
Chief Bruce
Chambers’ world
there is no
presumption of
innocence despite
that pesky
Charter of Rights
and Freedoms. ”

cers albeit, he put them in
desk jobs, not back on the
streets where they have col-
lectively served for almost
50 years.

His ham-handed han-
dling of this incident may
have been the straw. that
broke the camel’s back in
the way he is viewed by the
serving members.

Shortly after his appoint-
ment, he announced he
would be considering a
major re-organization of the
department.

He then proceeded to
put together a plan virtually
without any significant input
of senior officers who,
unlike the new chief, knew
about the city, the depart-
ment and from experience,
what works and what does-
n’t.

He then committed an
unforgivable faux pas in the
eyes of most officers.

He found time to march
at the head of the annual
Gay Pride parade, the first
senior VPD officer ever to
do so, but somehow could-
n’t find the time to attend
the annual retirement din-
ner, put on to pay tribute to
a!l the officers retiring in -
that calendar year.

This vear’s honourees
even included the much-
liked Chicf Ray Canuel,
Chambers’ predecessor.

This appeared to be a
deliberate snub to the
almost 500 serving, retired
and former officers who
bought tickets to show their
support.

Chambers” ticket was free
and still he couldn’t make it.

This was the largest
retirement dinner ever held
in the VPD.

The retirees represented
over 540 years of collective
police service to the City of
Vancouver.

For some reason he
wouldn’t take the chief?s
traditional scat in the middle
of the head table and offer
the opening remarks.

In years past, if a chief
couldn’ make it for whatev-
er reason, 2 deputy chief was
sent in his stead. Not this
time.

Now he has thrown duc
pracess out the window,

All around police head-
quarters a couple of docu-
ments began showing up on
every bulletin board.

The first, a take-off'on
TV host David Letterman’s
Top Ten, listed reasons why
the Chief “threw due
process out the window.”

The second was entitled,
“A message from the Chief
Constable.”

It sarcastically pokes fun
at the chief and the sweep-

ing changes he is making.

I realize these type of
things show up at many
types of workplaces, mock-
ing management.

In this case it’s a very dif:
ferent scenario.

A police force is a para-
military organization.

Even if the individual in
the chiefs office is disliked
respect is still accorded to
the office.

Evidently, in the
Vancouver Police
Department this is no
longer the case.

The new chief is being
openly mocked.

This has also resulted in
good cops being reluctant
to do their job.

They no longer feel they
have the backing of the
executive

The “FIDO™ syndrome is
now de rigueur in our city.
in police jargon this means,
“F*** It. Drive On.”

Better to keep your head
down than do something
and risk your job.

Sources tell me morale
has never been Jower in the
force.

Not even at the height of
the Marshall scandal, which
precipitated the appoint-
ment of Chief Canuel as a
fence-mending measure.

At the funeral last month
of Chief Canucel, it was said,
“we'll never sce his like
again.”

Pity.

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