Chief calls union boss’s logic ‘flawed’
Police Chief Charles Bordeleau publicly addressed for the first time Monday the rank-and-file union boss’s claims of inconsistencies when officers of different ranks are suspended amid allegations of misconduct.
Police union president Matt Skof asked the police board in an op-ed in the Citizen on May 11 to “intervene to preserve confidence in the leadership of the Ottawa Police Service.” The call came after provincial police began a criminal investigation of senior police employees related to the way they handled an investigation into a botched 2014 tactical training incident.
Skof called on the board to intervene after Bordeleau refused to suspend or reassign senior police officials implicated in the criminal probe.
“Bordeleau has shown a zeal for imposing suspensions or administrative transfers on rank-and-file officers,” Skof wrote.
“Many were imposed on the basis of mere allegations, others on the thinnest of evidence, well before investigations were commenced.”
Bordeleau told Monday’s police board meeting that Skof’s characterization that “there’s favouritism based on rank” was “flawed and untrue.”
“Though he focuses on senior officers, Mr. Skof ’s comments appear to follow a logic that any sworn member under investigation is or should be under suspension,” Bordeleau said.
“On the first point, the numbers show that not to be true and that suspensions are applied in a very small amount of cases. On the second point, it would simply be unfair for me as chief to use an allegation as the primary basis for suspension. It would also be unfair for any members, regardless of rank, who are simply under investigation.”
Bordeleau said the force currently has 69 matters that are being investigated under the Police Services Act or the Criminal Code by the force itself, civilian police oversight agencies or outside police services.
Those investigations involve about 94 members, Bordeleau said.
“The vast majority of investigations will not result in suspensions. Of that number, there are currently five Ottawa Police Service sworn members under suspension and one civilian member on administrative leave. Most of the suspensions predate this calendar year.”
Bordeleau said the force looks at “the specifics of each investigation (to) determine the appropriate course of action.
“I take this responsibility seriously and I am fully aware of the need to be consistent and transparent. Unfortunately, due to privacy issues, legislated restrictions and to protect the integrity of the investigations, I am often not in a position to openly speak about the rationale used for each of my decisions.”
He said there are “several considerations used when deciding when suspension is appropriate, including the availability of facts and information, the nature or seriousness of the offence, is there a concern for public safety, are there issues related to access to the workplace, data ... liability ... employment history of the member, and the integrity of the investigation.
“What I can say here,” he said in the public portion of the meeting, “is that every case presents its own scenarios and facts but we work hard to ensure that the considerations are applied fairly in all discipline matters to the best of our ability.
“Every case is reviewed individually. We always work to avoid prejudgment of the individual that the allegations are made against.”