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Sep 22 2005

Officer says it was OK to run reporter’s name through police computer

Posted by: admin in News

(Copyright The North Bay Nugget 2005)

EDMONTON (CP) — A senior Edmonton police officer says he was justified when he had a journalist’s name run through a police computer because the reporter had written a column that criticized the traffic section he commanded.

Staff Sgt. Bill Newton faces misconduct charges stemming from a Nov. 18, 2004, drunk-driving stakeout that targeted Edmonton Sun columnist Kerry Diotte.

Newton told his disciplinary hearing Wednesday that he asked a subordinate to run Diotte’s name through the computer because he wanted to understand the columnist’s “motivation” for writing an article that accused police of using photo radar as a cash cow.

“Clearly in my mind this was police-related,” testified Newton, a 25-year police veteran who once worked as a news reporter in New Brunswick.

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