Police deputy chief won’t be suspended amid allegations
Deputy Chief Uday Jaswal will not be suspended by the Ottawa police board.
However, Jaswal will be investigated by a civilian police watchdog for allegations contained in a human rights complaint claiming he discriminated against a female civilian employee on the basis of sexual harassment.
The complaint alleges he made repeated unwanted advances toward a civilian employee at the service. The complaint, filed by the employee, also alleges that he touched her without her consent and that when his sexual advances were spurned Jaswal interfered in her attempts to be hired as a police officer.
Jaswal, through his lawyer, has denied the allegations.
The board met for hours on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the complaint and any next steps it should take. Prior to the meeting, several officers expressed concern to the Citizen, alleging that the decision to suspend Jaswal had already been made and without all members of the board having viewed a letter from his lawyer that was sent to the board Monday.
Coun. Diane Deans, the board chair, told the Citizen before the meeting she “can confirm without hesitation that the below allegation re: suspension of Deputy Chief Jaswal is false. No decision has been made.”
She did not address the concern about the lawyer’s letter.
In a letter dated Monday, Ari Goldkind requested the board preserve documents and correspondence related to the Jaswal complaint. Those notes and emails date back to June 14 and involve nine police employees — from civilian to interim chief — and as suggested by the letter would lay out what communications were occurring internally before the human rights complaint was launched in August.
Police were aware of an allegation that the spouse of the complainant had offered to get rid of damning text messages if Jaswal intervened to get his wife hired as a police officer. That allegation is unproven and was never fully investigated.
On Thursday, the board said the human rights complaint “contains serious allegations that if substantiated, may constitute misconduct.” It is “committed to a positive and harassment-free workplace which requires that incidents of alleged harassment be properly investigated.”
The board will ask the Ontario Civilian Police Commission to investigate the allegations.
“We have also asked the OCPC to report back to the board as soon as possible with its findings, including providing the board with any preliminary assessment of the merits of the complaint and recommendations for any interim measures that are considered necessary and appropriate, including whether an immediate suspension is warranted,” the board said in a statement.
While Jaswal remains on the job, the board has also directed interim Chief Steve Bell to make a plan ensuring service “is not compromised in any way by … Jaswal’s continuing tenure as a deputy chief of the Ottawa Police Service.” The board will review their decision should they receive any additional information or recommendation that could warrant more action.
The woman’s lawyer, meanwhile, called Jaswal’s alleged behaviour “unacceptable” and said it should be to the board, too. “My client provided sufficient evidence to demonstrate without a doubt that the deputy chief was making improper advances and named an independent witness who saw the improper touching,” lawyer Paul Champ said. “Yet my client learned through a press release that (Jaswal) will remain in the workplace and the matter is being deferred to the commission.”
Champ called this Ottawa police’s “MeToo moment” and said “unfortunately the board is choosing to pass the buck.” Champ also called Jaswal’s questioning of the woman’s motives “predictable.” “It’s attacks like these that deter women from coming forward with complaints of inappropriate behaviour in the workplace. And it’s why all too often that kind of behaviour can continue. I am sure that every woman in the Ottawa police will be watching closely how this matter is handled by the board.”
This is the second active OCPC complaint against Jaswal, who remains under investigation by the civilian police watchdog for allegations he participated in misconduct as a deputy chief at the Durham Regional Police Service, where he was employed between 2016 and 2018. No findings have been made in that probe, which came with the unprecedented measure of removing the chief in Durham.