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Police watchdog agency faces probe

The B.C. government says it has launched a probe into its own police watchdog agency after receiving complaints that warranted an investigation of the “personnel practices” of the Independent Investigations Office.

The B.C. government says it has launched a probe into its own police watchdog agency after receiving complaints that warranted an investigation of the “personnel practices” of the Independent Investigations Office.

The government wouldn’t provide specifics but said in a statement that Deputy Attorney General Richard Fyfe ordered the B.C. Public Service Agency “to conduct a fair and thorough investigation in order to ensure personnel practices in the [investigations’ office] are in accordance with the law.”

“The deputy attorney general received complaints and considered that he needed information about the situation in the office in order to decide what, if any, action should be taken,” the statement said. “The Public Service Agency is responsible for personnel management in the public service, including providing formal advice and direction to ministries.”

Ralph Krenz, a spokesperson for the investigations’ office, which is based in Surrey, said he couldn’t provide specifics on the probe because of the investigation. The Courier sent an email to the agency’s chief civilian director Richard Rosenthal for comment but Krenz said he wouldn’t be responding.

“We’re still waiting for terms of reference and all that and more specificity,” said Krenz when asked about the scope of the investigation.

A recent report in the Victoria Times Colonist, in which 11 former investigators and employees of the investigations’ office were interviewed, painted the office as a dysfunctional organization and alleged workers were bullied or talked down to by Rosenthal.

The investigations’ office has 25 investigators, with only 11 with experience as former officers. The office has seven vacancies for investigators and, overall, has 50 positions, including analysts, managers and a legal department.

Rosenthal was appointed head of the Independent Investigations Office in 2012 after leaving his post as Denver’s independent monitor of the police department and sheriff’s office. He had previously set up a police oversight agency in Portland and worked as a public corruption prosecutor in Los Angeles.

The investigations’ office was set up in B.C. to conduct criminal investigations into incidents involving police officers that result in death or serious harm. In announcing the new agency in 2012, Premier Christy Clark called it a historic step for policing in the province.

At the time of Rosenthal’s appointment, the Courier interviewed two people in Denver who dealt with Rosenthal, who has never worked as a police officer. Cathy Reynolds, a member of Denver’s Citizen Oversight Board, said he did “a fantastic job,” adding that law enforcement can be “resistant to any change and the idea that they, for the first time, were going to have real civilian oversight was a tough pill and they’re still having a tough time swallowing it.”

Nick Rogers, president of Denver’s police union, declined to speak on the record when contacted by the Courier. “The only thing I’ll say on the record is thanks Canada [for hiring Rosenthal],” said Rogers, whose union represents 1,400 Denver cops.

Neither the Vancouver Police Department nor Vancouver Police Union, which were present when the premier introduced Rosenthal at a news conference in 2012, have made any public complaints against the investigations’ office.

As of last month, the investigations’ office has investigated 32 files where a VPD officer was involved in an incident that resulted in death or serious harm. Twenty-two investigations are complete. Four cases were forwarded to Crown counsel to be reviewed for charges. So far, no charges have been laid.

mhowell@vancourier.com

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