Police board dismisses allegations of professional misconduct

Troy Shantz A letter allegedly written by a Sarnia Police officer that accuses senior officers within the department of serious professional misconduct has been investigated and found “riddled with inaccuracies and false allegations,” says Mike Bradl

Troy Shantz

A letter allegedly written by a Sarnia Police officer that accuses senior officers within the department of serious professional misconduct has been investigated and found “riddled with inaccuracies and false allegations,” says Mike Bradley, chair of the Sarnia Police Services Board.

The five-page document, which the writer calls a “plea for help,” was sent to city councillors and members of the Police Services Board on May 15.

It describes a number of alleged incidents and activities within the department, and identifies officers and their supervisors by name.

“It has put me in the situation where I can no longer remain silent as it would be neglectful on my part,” the anonymous author states.

Bradley said the letter was turned over to Police Chief Phil Nelson, who conducted a comprehensive review and dismissed the allegations as unfounded.

“Anything like this, there’s always going to be some fact in that something happened. The full review just indicated very clearly there’s fabrications, there’s misinformation, and a number of the issues had been dealt with … through the police complaint process,” said Bradley, who is also Sarnia’s mayor.

Bradley added the letter was a violation of the privacy rights of many of the 16 officers mentioned by name.

“If by chance that individual is within the service, I would suggest they violated the Police Act in their conduct,” he said.

The Sarnia Police Services Board met on June 1 in a closed session to discuss the matter and later issued the following statement:

“That the Sarnia Police Services Board accept Chief Nelsons’ comprehensive report on legal and personnel matters and that there be no further action taken.