Edmonton Police Watch

EDMONTON JOURNAL

The story of a rookie police officer trying to bribe his way out of a speeding ticket will further erode trust in Edmonton’s police service, says a university law professor.

“This is just one of many,” said Sanjeev Anand, a criminal law professor at the University of Alberta. “You tack this onto the Fryingpan incident and the Overtime incident and you start to develop a picture. I would say it’s probably an inaccurate picture, but it only takes a few high-profile incidents like this to strain community relations.”

Const. Daniel Chagnon saw the flash of photo radar behind him last March and asked the constable on duty, “Would a bottle make this ticket go away?”

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EDMONTON JOURNAL

Published: Thursday, September 27

EDMONTON – A 26-year veteran police detective who allegedly interfered with a family member’s drunk driving charge has reserved his plea.

Det. Wallace James MacNeil faces charges of obstructing justice, personation and breach of trust.

He has been suspended without pay and is next scheduled to appear in court Nov. 1, according to Alberta Justice.

After the charges were laid in August, Insp. Brad Doucette of the Edmonton Police Service’s professional standards branch called the allegations “very serious” and said suspension without pay is “quite rare.”

He declined to give details about the allegations, and would say only that the relative was male and that the case file was opened in February 2005.

That family member was not involved in the obstruction of justice, Doucette said. A charge for impaired driving was laid against him on Aug. 13.

MacNeil is a senior member who worked as a detective in southeast division. Doucette said he “should have known better.”

None of the allegations have been proven in court.

EDMONTON JOURNAL

Published: Thursday, September 27

EDMONTON – A junior Edmonton police officer tried to bribe his way out of a photo radar ticket with a drink last spring.

He realized his mistake pretty quickly and sat stone-faced through his disciplinary hearing this morning. “If that had been a completed transaction, I would suggest the constable’s job would be on the line,” warned Supt. Mark Logar as he delivered his judgement.

Const. Daniel Chagnon, hired by the Edmonton Police Service Aug. 2006, was driving on 97th Street northbound on March 6 this year. It was just after midnight and he was off-duty and speeding, driving his own 2003 Ford Mustang at 65 kilometres per hour in a 50 zone.

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EDMONTON SUN

A teenager who claims he was badly injured when notorious cop dog Wizzard launched an unwarranted attack upon him is suing the Edmonton Police Service.

Eric Gummeson, 15, and his mother, Matina Gummeson, have filed a $210,000 lawsuit against Const. Bruce Edwards of the EPS dog unit, three unidentified police officers and police Chief Michael Boyd.

In the statement of claim, Gummeson alleges that on June 9, 2006, when he was 14, Edwards deployed Wizzard to apprehend him without any prior warning or instruction, and in spite of the fact he was being cooperative.

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EDMONTON JOURNAL

EDMONTON – An Edmonton police officer connected to a stakeout targeting a city journalist nearly three years ago maintained Tuesday he did not expect a campaign to catch “happy hour drunks” to focus on the columnist.

Staff Sgt. William Newton testified in his own defence before a panel of the Law Enforcement Review Board.

He said a reporter told him in May 2004 that Edmonton Sun columnist Kerry Diotte was rumoured to drink and drive. Newton shared the rumour with his team of traffic officers.

Newton previously said he could not remember the name or sex of the reporter, nor could he remember the media outlet the reporter worked for. He also testified he did nothing to check out the rumour, but considered it a valid tip.

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edmontonjournal.com

Published: Tuesday, September 25

EDMONTON – An Edmonton police officer connected to a drinking-and-driving stakeout that targeted a city journalist nearly three years ago said today he did not intend for a campaign to root out “happy-hour drunks” to focus on the columnist.

Staff Sgt. William Newton testified in his own defence before a panel of the Law Enforcement Review Board this morning.

He testified another reporter told him in May 2004 that Edmonton Sun columnist Kerry Diotte was rumoured to drink and drive. On hearing the tip, and again six months later, Newton shared the rumour with his team of traffic officers.

He told officers about the rumour as they prepared for an early-evening campaign designed to catch people who went for an after-work drink and then got behind the wheel.

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EDMONTON SUN

Police inadvertently came across Edmonton Sun columnist Kerry Diotte three years ago while conducting a special operation against drunk drivers, an appeal hearing heard yesterday.

Insp. Bryan Boulanger told the Law Enforcement Review Board yesterday the infamous Overtime sting began as police were doing surveillance in the 104 Avenue area downtown as part of a pre-holiday safe-driving campaign.

Boulanger was testifying at an appeal of an earlier dismissal of a charge of unlawful or unnecessary use of authority against Staff Sgt. Bill Newton, then head of the city police traffic section.

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EDMONTON JOURNAL

EDMONTON – An Edmonton police officer who critics say is responsible for centering a drinking-and-driving stakeout on a city journalist nearly three years ago will testify for himself Tuesday morning.

Staff Sgt. William Newton was charged internally with discreditable conduct in 2005, after a November 2004 stakeout at the Overtime Bar and Grill came to light for its alleged focus on an Edmonton Sun columnist and a city police commissioner.

Both the Sun columnist and the police commissioner took cabs home the night of the 2004 stakeout.

The charge against Newton was dismissed by a presiding officer in the police hearing, but the Criminal Trial Lawyers’ Association appealed the decision to the Law Enforcement Review Board.

The board, a quasi-judicial panel, has the ability to allow or dismiss the appeal, or change the decision or punishment against the officer.

Newton made his first appearance this morning. Insp. Bryan Boulanger, whose case is also being heard by the board, was the first to testify.

Boulanger was charged with discreditable conduct for a news release issued after the stakeout. His charge was also cleared by an internal disciplinary hearing, a decision being appealed.

EDMONTON JOURNAL

EDMONTON – Police Insp. Bryan Boulanger has always maintained he issued a news release about the Overtime stakeout only after verifying a tip used by police to justify the operation was legitimate and independent.

During closing arguments at Boulanger’s Law Enforcement Review Board hearing Friday, a lawyer accused Boulanger of knowing the news release was inaccurate and was designed to embarrass the stakeout’s targets – Edmonton Sun columnist Kerry Diotte and Martin Ignasiak, then chair of the Edmonton Police Commission.

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EDMONTON JOURNAL

EDMONTON – The Edmonton Police Service has dropped all internal disciplinary charges against Const. Joe Slemko, a blood-spatter expert who defied orders not to testify for the defence as a private consultant in criminal cases and fatality inquiries.

It would be unfair to proceed with the charges, Chief Mike Boyd said in an interview on Monday.

“This issue has been confused or blurred and it needs to be clarified or straightened out,” he said. “I just don’t think it would be proper to proceed (with internal disciplinary charges) at this point.”

Boyd called Slemko on Monday to give him the news.

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