Monday, November 10, 2008

 

Is Jamie Graham replacing Paul Battershill?

Former Vancouver police chief to take over Victoria department: reports
Canwest News Service - Monday, November 10, 2008

VICTORIA - Former Vancouver police chief Jamie Graham has been selected to head up the Victoria police department, replacing Paul Battershill, Global TV is reporting. [I don't think so. See later reports below. Also G West comment. - BC Mary]

And Times Colonist.

And Canadian Press

And From Bike Shop to Top Cop in Victoria? Vancouver Sun

And Victoria Pushes Ahead with Hiring New Chief Before Municipal Election
- The Globe and Mail

- and Veteran Councillor concerned with Police Chief rumours CFAX

- and West Coast Indie News: They can't be serious: Jamie Graham for Victoria Police Chief? (recommended)

- and The Province, Victoria Police Board Picks Candidate (but won't say who)

- and Times Colonist: Co-workers of Graham offer exuberant praise (interesting!)

- and Times Colonist (remember Gerald Hartwig?) Bear Mountain builders hit with marketing fines of $30,000.

- and Times Colonist: New top cop picked but name still a secret.

- and CTV: Graham expected to be new Victoria Police Chief

- Times Colonist: Police board to review new chief choice Tuesday (Nov. 18)

- Times Colonist: Victoria police board member resigns, unhappy with decision to hire new police chief before new mayors are on the job next month. (Nov. 18)

- CFAX: Mayor critical of quitting Police Board member (Nov. 19). [Do these guys never quit squabbling and back-biting?? Does media never find any actual NEWS to report?? - BC Mary]

- Globe and Mail: Police board member quits over push for Victoria chief. [Even this is beginning to smell strange. - BC Mary]

- ctvbc.ca (Nov. 24, 2008) Jamie Graham CONFIRMED as Victoria Police Chief

-Th
e Province (Nov. 23) Chief Graham still has a lot to teach about policing. A victim of politics, he has the heart to lead a force. By Sgt. Mark Tonner.

- Times Co
lonist (Nov. 25) Graham top cop in Victoria

- Times Colonist (Nov. 25) New Chief heads deeply divided force

- Times Colonist (Nov 26) Q & A with new police chief (Rob Shaw finds out things you wanted to know about Jamie Graham but were afraid to ask. Graham sounds good about street issues and homelessness. Politically, the litmus test may be the way he answered "How do you feel about Paul Battershill?")

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A wonderful 11-year-old named Jacob has taught BC Mary how to do hyperlinks.
Thank you, Jake. - BC Mary.

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Comments:
You see Mary, you're never too old to learn. Things are going to be a little easier now.
On Jamie Graham: I can't figure out how that numskull even got shortlisted. Except that you might bet the farm it's political. Ya think?
 
Maybe? Maybe not?

So far all I've heard confirmed is that Graham was interviewed for the job.

Hiring him would seem, given his reputation, to be a pretty stupid thing to do...by highly typical of the current police board.

I also noticed that Esquimalt has asked for a financial audit of VicPd...
 
Jamie graham failed to keep his officers(Vanc.PD) accountable! This would be very attractive for gordo and co.!
 
Gary E,

Ahem ... let's just say you're never too young to teach.
 
This is a surprise since I would bet that Jamie's sense of humour which outraged Vancouver City Hall wouldn't fly well in Victoria.

Good cop and the street cops respect him but politicians and activists hate him because he doesn't follow their spin.

Good quote by Jamie
"Leaders are supposed to motivate and inspire others to action. Leadership is not a job title. We lead by our attitudes, by our responses to authority and challenge, by the words we speak and by the examples we set for those under our command."


My bet would be he isn't going to get the job since now the entitled know he is in the running.

This could get interesting. Watch for who comes out in favour and against him ...
 
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Harrumph.

So Victoria shoots itself in the foot again.

This may be an "issue" for the Public Affairs Breau to "manage", eh?


.
 
Come off it folks, give Jamie a break here. He's shredded all of the pistol targets in his possession. He's burned the transparent tape that held the target in place on the door.

What more can be asked?
 
It sure shows that the Police Board is a mess over there. Graham didn't have his contract renewed here in Vancouver and now they might pick him! The comparison between Battershill and Graham will be very painful indeed.
 
It's okay Mary I was thinking of myself. But if its' young you want then its young you shall have.

Anon 9:58 AM We could ask why he didn't stick around to face the music.
 
Given Mr. Graham's track record, this appointment stinks.

Ex-police chief Jamie Graham guilty of misconduct

By Carlito Pablo, Georgia Straight


Former Vancouver police chief Jamie Graham's failure to cooperate in a 2003 RCMP investigation into police brutality constitutes "discreditable misconduct".

This was spelled out in a recent letter by police complaint commissioner Dirk Ryneveld to the Vancouver police board, which is chaired by Mayor Sam Sullivan.


Police complaint commissioner Dirk Ryneveld's Aug 12, 2008, letter to Mayor Sam Sullivan

However, Graham, who was known to be protective of his men, retired as top constable in August 2007, so the matter of imposing a penalty has been rendered moot.

The case traces its beginnings back to 2002, when the Pivot Legal Society compiled affidavits by 50 Downtown Eastside residents. What emerged was a pattern of beatings, torture, unlawful detention, illegal strip searches, illegal entry into homes, abusive language, and unlawful confinement that people in the neighbourhood claimed they'd suffered at the hands of the Vancouver police.

This was followed the next year by Pivot filing complaints of misconduct with the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner (OPCC). The RCMP was designated to investigate the complaints, and its team encountered difficulties in getting the Vancouver police to cooperate.

The RCMP found nine cases to be substantiated. In 2004, the RCMP team submitted a report to the VPD, and the latter conducted its own internal investigation. In 2005, Graham announced the results of the VPD's probe, which found none of the cases to be substantiated.

In 2006, Pivot filed a noncooperation complaint against Graham and a number of VPD officers. On May 14, 2007, Sullivan, acting as disciplinary authority over Graham, dismissed the Pivot complaint, noting that at that time, Graham was already on his way out.

However, Ryneveld disagreed with Sullivan's decision, and the commissioner ordered Delta police Chief Jim Cessford to handle the noncooperation complaint against Graham. The portion of the noncooperation complaint relating to officers below Graham's rank was handled by the Saanich Police Department.

In November 2007, the VPD, under then recently installed police Chief Jim Chu, issued an apology to the Downtown Eastside residents who had claimed they were abused. In return, Pivot withdrew the complaint against the VPD officers, while Cessford's investigation into the Graham file continued.

"I am satisfied that Chief Constable Cessford appropriately substantiated the disciplinary default of discreditable conduct against Chief Constable Graham," Ryneveld wrote in his August 12, 2008, letter to the Vancouver police board.

According to Cessford's report, which Ryneveld extensively quoted, Graham was "made aware on several occasions" that some VPD members were not submitting their reports on time to RCMP investigators. Also, it "took some members several months to comply with requests for interviews and duty reports".

"While Chief Graham did commit to cooperating with the investigation and gave direction to his IIS [internal investigation section] Inspector to ensure full compliance, this did not occur in any timely fashion, and Chief Graham did not fully exercise his authority in ensuring that his members cooperated as required," Ryneveld quoted from Cessford's report.

In his report, Cessford noted that it was clear in Graham's mind that the Vancouver police chief had the "lawful authority to issue the order" for his men to cooperate.

Cessford pointed out that "in the face of being told on several occasions that cooperation was not forthcoming with respect to interviews and duty reports, it was incumbent upon him [Graham] to do more than he did in this situation to ensure compliance from his members."

"While he did not condone the lack of cooperation, and he repeatedly maintained that he expected his officers to comply, he did not take the necessary steps to ensure that they did so," Cessford also wrote in his report.

In his letter to the Vancouver police board, Ryneveld stated that "but for the retirement of Chief Graham, discipline would have been imposed."

On October 10 this year, the Georgia Straight sought out Bruce Brown, deputy commissioner at the OPCC, for an update on the Graham file. "Our office reviewed the report and the file, and basically all we can say is that there is insufficient evidence that warranted the calling of a public hearing into the matter," Brown said in a phone conversation
 
Unbelievable he would even be considered
Times Colonist Nov. 12
New top cop picked, but name is still a secret
Lowe confirms former Vancouver chief a candidate; negotiations underway
snip, this is funny
Meanwhile, Graham has been working as a salesman at Simon's Bike Shop on Robson Street in Vancouver for at least six months. On Monday night, after Global TV reported Graham was a top contender for the Victoria police chief's job, shop owner Simon Coutts phoned Graham.

"I point-blank asked him, 'Look, are you going to give me two weeks notice? Are you leaving?' He started to laugh and said, 'I have no comment Simon,' " Coutts said yesterday.
 
Hey, you forgot our story in your roundup.

They Can't be Serious: Jamie Graham for Victoria Police Chief?

It broke yesterday that Jamie Graham, former police chief
of the Vancouver Police Department is being considered for
the top cop job in Victoria. I've got two things to say to that
one: They can't be serious? And Hell No!

http://westcoastindienews.blogspot.com/2008/11/they-cant-be-serious-jamie-graham-for.html
 
WCIN:

You're a bright new face in bloggerworld, I see. Thanks for dropping in ... especially with a good article.

Nope, I didn't "forget" you ... just never saw you in the usual headline scans or Google Alerts. I hope that changes soon ... as I certainly liked the way you explored your subject with a lot of fresh insights.

How about helping me root around in that strange place the government calls their Public Affairs Bureau ... how much do they influence what we read, and where we read it?

Google PUBLIC AFFAIRS BUREAU and if you haven't done that before, I bet you'll be surprised.

For now, thanks again ... and best o'luck!
 
Hi Mary, on the marketing offences for Gerald Harwtig and others do the buyers receive money back or is that another court case? It sounds like the regulations are to protect the public but what if they've bought already?
 
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12:15,

Don't know. Gotta admit, I haven't followed Gerald Hartwig's business activities. But I did have a hunch all along that he had an exaggerated interest (according to his lawyer) in trying to find some dirt on ex-Chief Battershill, so I kept wondering why, why.


I just don't know. My interest has been in Paul Battershill and the important role he has played -- and will continue to play -- in the investigation and trial of Basi, Virk, and Basi. And in Hartwig only for allegedly attempting to discredit Battershill as the trial draws nearer.

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Both of the Police Board Mayors are now gone, Lowe stepped down and Clement was kicked out by a landslide.
 
News reports just out that the Police Board meeting dissolved in to a screaming match and one members resigned after a self serving diatribe.
 
Re: Police Board member resigns. Is this the same Police Board member who wrote in the Times Colonist a few months ago it was "absurd" to delay hiring the new Chief until after the elections. What a completely bizarre change of position. What are the conflicts of interest involved ???
 
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I dunno, folks. It's getting harder -- not easier -- to figure these people out.

My original (and lingering) concern was focused upon the very important witness whose testimony will be part of the Basi-Virk trial, i.e., the former and well-regarded Chief Constable, Paul Battershill.

That's still my concern and I wish I knew for sure, where Battershill is now, how he's doing, and in fact what he's doing. I remain convinced (because nothing has shown otherwise) that he was a good cop for Vancouver and Victoria and heaven knows, we need our good cops.

But with the prima donnas and fireworks naturally occurring around a police departments which has anything to do with the raid on the BC Legislature, I'm afraid I've let our conversations detour down some rabbit trails, which provide no understanding (so far as I can see) of the BC Rail Case.

However ... anytime people want to send me messages not intended for publication, just write NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION across the top. Anything that helps me understand this weird Basi-Virk scene is appreciated.

Thanks all, all the time!

.
 
News just coming out that a Victoria Police Sergeant has been suspended for incorrectly releasing information in relation to the coup on Battershill. It sounds like its all unravelling...he is the one tightly connected to Hartwig.
 
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Anon 4:11,

Thanks for the news ... but Ye gods, what next??

Where did you hear / see / read about this new development?

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