Officer faces two assault complaints
Complaint against officer the second to be heard by provincial commissioner
The Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner, which deals with complaints about municipal police officers, is now handling two complaints of alleged assaults involving a Vancouver cop who remains on the job.
The second complaint was made public on Monday when the OPCC announced that it was ordering a review into the findings of a disciplinary proceeding relating to an allegation of discreditable conduct against Const. Neil Logan while he was off duty with his then-girlfriend in September 2017.
Alyssa LeBlevec, who is now 28 years old, reported that she had gone on a trip to Oregon with Logan, who she had been dating for about five months, and that they had met up with another off-duty Vancouver police officer for lunch at a restaurant before going to a nearby pub.
According to LeBlevec, the officers had a number of drinks, with Logan becoming intoxicated to the point where he could not operate his vehicle. She claims that while she was driving herself and Logan back to their hotel, there was an argument and Logan became angry and broke the windshield.
LeBlevec, who was studying criminology at the time and had applied to become a member of the RCMP, says Logan struck the side of her face with a backhand slap, according to the OPCC’s notice of review on the record.
“She pulled the car over, where the argument continued at the roadside outside of the vehicle,” says the OPCC’s notice. “The complainant reported that upon approaching her, Const. Logan struck her across her face and she began pushing him away as he was attempting to hold her in a bear hug despite her telling him to stop.”
LeBlevec alleges that she suffered more abuse when they got back to the hotel, including being struck on the side of her face again and being placed into bear hugs despite telling him not to do so.
The OPCC received a complaint from LeBlevec with the allegation of discreditable conduct determined to be admissible.
The complaint was forwarded to the Vancouver Police Department’s professional standards section.
LeBlevec also reported the incident to the local police department in Seaside, Ore., which conducted a criminal investigation. No charges were laid.
But a Vancouver police investigator conducted an investigation that resulted in the police discipline authority determining that the evidence appeared to support a finding of misconduct by Logan.
A “pre-hearing conference” was offered to Logan, who accepted the move. Following the pre-hearing, Logan agreed to a 15-day suspension without pay but the OPCC rejected the pre-hearing conference agreement and the matter moved to a discipline proceeding.
In April, the discipline proceeding conducted by Vancouver police Supt. Steve Eely found that Logan had committed discreditable conduct in connection only with the windshield damage. It was proposed that he be suspended without pay for six working days and attend “emotional regulation” sessions with a psychologist.
But LeBlevec was concerned that her version of events had not been properly considered and she called for a public hearing or a review of the matter.
In the notice to order the review, the OPCC said Eely’s acceptance of Logan’s claim that he did not strike LeBlevec was “without proper consideration of the totality of the evidence,” including corroborating evidence.
“The evidence supports a serious level of violence in Constable Logan’s actions,” said the OPCC. “Appropriate weight was not afforded to the evidence provided by Ms. LeBlevec.”
Eely’s decision was “lacking” in understanding and consideration of the impact of trauma and the dynamics of intimate-partner violence in his assessment of LeBlevec’s evidence, said the OPCC.
Retired judge Brian Neal was appointed to preside as the adjudicator
of the review.
Logan is also in the middle of a public hearing into allegations he assaulted a man in his home in April 2016.
Vladimir Tchaikoun claims that Logan and another officer, Const. Eric Ludeman, forced their way into his home and punched, kicked and struck him numerous times using a baton, elbows, legs and a head-butt.
The hearing began in March but was suspended over COVID-19 concerns.
In an email, a spokeswoman for the VPD said that as the matter is being investigated by the OPCC she was limited in what she could say. Because the OPCC process is continuing, Logan’s employment status has not changed, the VPD said.
LeBlevec said she has given up on her ambitions to be a Mountie.
“After this whole situation and just seeing first-hand how everything was handled by the VPD and what actually goes on behind the scenes, I didn’t feel comfortable becoming a police officer anymore.”
Logan could not be reached for comment.