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with his pension
| Sabo's
weirdness when he first took office | Provincial government's appeal of
Klassen/Kvello malicious prosecution judgment | Wiks
lied to media | 2005: Mayor
Atcheson won't talk about Sabo complaint | Dueck
made complaint |
Hathway | McCullock
The Chief is gone: it was a sad tenure
Sermonettes
and comments from others, Jan-March 2005 - Feb. 2006
Sabo
still upbeat, upright despite tumultuous tenure
Les MacPherson, The StarPhoenix, Saturday, March 04, 2006
A police chief in Canada's
bigger cities, we are told, can expect to last only three or
four years on the job. That's about the same as the career expectancy
of a running back in professional football. It figures that running
backs and police chiefs both take a lot of shots, often around
the knees.
By finishing his five-year
contract, Saskatoon police Chief Russ Sabo lasted longer than
most. This in spite of many punishing hits.
Among Sabo's achievements was
to diffuse ticking time bombs left by previous administrations.
The Stonechild inquiry, the Hatchen and Munson convictions, the
Wegner and Naistus inquests, the Milgaard inquiry . . . these
were among the explosive files Sabo inherited. His calming, upbeat
influence became a foundation for rebuilding confidence in a
grievously wounded police service.
Even on the day of his discharge,
Sabo was upbeat. Relentlessly so. Almost perversely so. You'd
have thought by the tone of his news conference he was being
hired instead of let go. He had nothing but praise for the service,
for the senior officers, for the city, even for the police commissioners
who, just one hour earlier, announced they were not renewing
his contract. Sabo's response could not have been more gracious.
He actually thanked them for their support, at least up to now.
He absolutely gushed over police
personnel. It was his great privilege to work with such fine
men and women, he declared. You'd never have known the police
union not so long ago gave him a resounding vote of non-confidence.
With unemployment looming,
Sabo might want to consider a career change. He'd be great in
public relations. A man who can put positive spin on his own
termination would be much in demand by private industry. He could
put a positive spin on a toxic waste spill.
Sabo even thanked the press
for its support. You can't get more gracious than that. I mean,
nobody thanks the press.
It helped that the termination
itself was gracious. As chair of the police commission, Mayor
Don Atchison got to deliver the awkward news. He was reluctant
in the extreme to say anything negative. The mayor was much more
comfortable itemizing Sabo's achievements. This made it difficult
to understand why, exactly, the chief was no longer wanted.
The mayor's message could not
have been more mixed. If Sabo hadn't failed in some significant
way to meet expectations, why was he being let go? And how could
commissioners have confidence in him to run the force for the
next six months but not for the next five years?
The chief's contract was due
to expire, the mayor kept insisting. The commission wanted a
change in direction. It was nothing against Sabo.
Oh, come on, replied the skeptical
press. (That's why no one ever thanks us.)
After more prodding than should
have been necessary, Atchison reluctantly allowed that not all
was well with policing in Saskatoon. The public, he said, is
dissatisfied with police visibility and response times. That's
as far as he would go, but it was clear that the commission and
the outgoing chief had divergent views on police priorities.
Why couldn't someone just say so?
Ironically, Sabo's predecessor,
Dave Scott, was sacked because the commission then wanted more
community policing. Now Sabo, who was tireless in the community,
is let go for not doing enough about front-line policing. I'm
reminded of an old Ukrainian proverb: If you want to beat a dog,
you can always find a stick.
This would help explain why
light bulbs last longer than most Canadian police chiefs. Changing
chiefs is a way for politicians to show their resolve in dealing
with the crime. It's a bit like firing successive coaches of
a struggling sports franchise. The difference is that police
face tougher opposition. They can't beat crime. That takes a
whole city, if such a thing is even possible. The rapid turnover
of Canadian police chiefs would suggest it is not.
It may or may not be coincidence
that Sabo's kiss off comes in a civic election year. Atchison
ran last time on a law and order platform. With a new police
chief to show off, he can do so again, even though crime is worse.
This would not be entirely cynical. The next chief will be the
first hired under Atchison's administration. Perhaps with a chief
of police who shares his thinking, the mayor can deliver on his
promise.
This is not to suggest that
Sabo was ineffective. He leaves the police service in better
standing than he found it. When he took over, people were afraid
of city police. Sabo presided over the restoration of trust.
Apparently it wasn't enough. lmacpherson@sp.canwest.com
© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2006
Sermonette
Renew Sabo's contract
and provide him with a bodyguard and whatever else he needs to
do his job
Yesterday I blogged that Saskatoon
was without a chief. This is true, but it does not have to remain
so. Saskatoon can still redeem itself, but it will have to do
so quickly.
I have not been impressed by
Russell Sabo's performance and I haven't hesitated to voice that
opinion on injusticebusters. I made a really biting cartoon about
him after he lied to Richard Klassen about the investigation
of Superintendent Dueck -- and I stand by that cartoon.
However, I do not want to be
part of the school of piranhas which now heads towards the chief
slavering to consume his flesh an bones. The old guard, led at
least spiritually by former Chief Dave Scott, would like to restore
Saskatoon to the days when cops were cops and could leave drunks
at the edge of town to freeze, lie to inquiries with impunity
and promote the likes of Dueck from corporal to superintendent
as a reward for prosecuting and defaming innocent people.
It would seem that there are
forces who would like to see Deputy Chief Wiks (on leave pending
an appeal of the slap of the wrist he received for lying to the
media about the Stonechild investigation) or some other member
of the existing police force installed as chief. Some of these
forces would be from the Downtown Partnership, which provides
regular advertising revenue for the local media and was successful
in ousting Mayor Jim Maddin after one three year term.
The truth is that Maddin was
not given a chance and that Chief Sabo, who Maddin helped bring
in to a town badly in need of some outside blood was not given
a chance, either.
Jim Maddin knew the Saskatoon
Police Service was riddled with problems and chose to retire
after 25 years and seek another career in politics. He had (and
still has) support of the west side where crime and poverty have
been allowed to flourish. But his hands were tied by a Board
of Commissioners owned by the Old Guard. They pulled a fast one
on him and renewed Chief Dave Scott's contract, allowing him
to carry on his corrupt practices until finally, he was in a
position to fire him and begin the painful process of finding
a new chief.
In hindsight, it becomes pretty
clear that Sabo was brought in without adequate preparation.
As nearly as we can tell, he didn't have a single friend on the
force and had to take certain leaps of faith about who he could
trust.
He was given an executive assistant
who had worked for Scott and many chiefs before him. She turned
out to be a snake in the grass, complaining she was harassed
because of some old-school chivalry (compliments of a quasi sexual
nature) which, apparently her assignments with the previous chiefs
hadn't prepared her to handle.
Sabo might have had a chance
if he had brought with him a sergeant he could trust, who could
have eased him into the treacherous waters of this city. But
he didn't. He was on his own and once Maddin was gone, he was
bereft of support.
Saskatoon could save its face
and its skin if, instead of turfing Sabo (as the StarPhoenix
is now suggesting it should) it renewed his contract and provided
him with a body-guard. A good one. Smart and trained, who would
be his shadow, his eyes in the back of his head, someone who
would make it possible for him to do his job. Maybe two. Whatever
it takes.
This would be much less expensive
than the dollars the City paid out in higher insurance claims
after Dueck was found to have maliciously prosecuted the Klassens
and Kvellos, or the claims collected by John Popowich.
Renew his contract and then
let him have what he needs to do his job. --Sheila Steele, January
19, 2006
Comments welcome on the
blog.
Commission not living up
to goal
Randy Burton, The StarPhoenix,
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Here's an interesting question
for Saskatoon's board of police commissioners to ponder as they
consider the direction of the police service.
How much has it cost the city
in the last five years to pay the various lawyers and investigators
sniffing around the police station on various administrative
issues?
How much has been paid to employees
spending their days at home on paid suspensions?
There's no way of telling,
but I suspect the number would easily run into the hundreds of
thousands.
The legal struggle between
Chief Russ Sabo and deputy chief Dan Wiks is one such example.
The ongoing saga of Sabo's former executive secretary Gwen Klotz
is another. The latest chapter of this story not only guarantees
more expense, but means further poor reflections cast on the
police service.
No doubt the police commission
is tired of the dispute between Klotz and the police, but if
anyone should be interested in fair play, it ought to be the
police commission.
But the cavalier way they are
dismissing an investigator's report into the reasons why Klotz
was suspended and then fired does nothing to encourage confidence
in how they are fulfilling their duties.
That the co-worker in question,
Elizabeth Foster, refused to speak with the occupational health
and safety investigator suggests her story may be a little shaky.
That she and her husband are
also reported to be clubby with the chief only underlines the
impression that something other than professional concern is
at work.
None of this seems to discourage
police commissioner and Coun. Myles Heidt, who seems to know
more than anyone else about the issue.
While the investigator concluded
that Klotz ouster was payback for her complaining about Sabo's
unwanted attentions, Heidt claims to know otherwise.
"It's a bunch of allegations
that are untrue," he pronounced of the investigator's report.
"It's got absolutely nothing
to do with payback. That's childish, comments like that. It's
totally unfounded and purely speculation."
Really?
On the one hand, Heidt says
he can't discuss internal personnel matters, but on the other
is quite happy to tell us what it isn't.
If Heidt knows something the
investigator couldn't find out, why doesn't he say so? Let him
lay out the facts publicly so the police service can settle this
issue and move on.
Common sense tells you that
something doesn't add up about this situation.
Three years ago, Sabo's executive
secretary Gwen Klotz complained about a rash of Sabo's unwelcome
remarks and unwarranted intrusions into her personal space while
working as the chief's executive assistant.
A consultant's report upheld
five of these complaints, which among other things, included
picking lint off Klotz's hair, standing close enough to sniff
her perfume and moving in behind her desk to speak with her.
When the dust finally cleared
on that issue, Klotz had been back on the job just six months
before she was put on administrative leave.
This was because Foster had
"reached her limit" in tolerating Klotz's perfume and
because "Gwen says things that make her feel inadequate,"
according to the occupational health and safety report.
For this, the city sent Klotz
home on administrative leave where she stayed for almost a year
before the police commission fired her.
Klotz complained to the Labour
Department, which started an investigation, but after chasing
Foster for two months, the investigator still couldn't get Foster
to talk to her. It's easier to get an interview with the Dalai
Lama.
On balance, though, it should
hardly be surprising if Sabo doesn't want Klotz around anymore.
Who would want to have a daily reminder of your own past indiscretions?
Both Heidt and Mayor Don Atchison
are adamant that payback is not an issue but cannot supply a
more credible explanation. In the meantime, the police commission's
lawyer is challenging the Labour's Department's findings, given
the complainant has yet to be heard from.
Fair enough. Labour investigator
Andrea Dunkle should have demanded the board of police commissioners
produce Foster and compel her to speak.
But from a taxpayer's point
of view, there are other questions of interest, too.
For example, how is it that
it takes a year to decide whether to fire someone over disagreeable
perfume and a case of hurt feelings?
You might also ask why it is,
that if police commissioners such as Heidt know the "real
story," they are not talking to the investigator themselves?
The board of police commissioners
has been all too happy to simply look the other way on this issue,
and deal with it only when it becomes a public embarrassment.
The police service is supposed
to be all about due process and fair play. It's not at all clear
that it's living up to that goal in this case.
© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2006
Editorial: Sabo contract
hard decision
The StarPhoenix, Wednesday,
January 18, 2006
Despite Chief Russ Sabo's desire
to remain on the job after his current contract expires on Aug.
31, the city's board of police commissioners needs to take a
hard look at whether extending his tenure is what's best for
Saskatoon.
To say Sabo has travelled a
rocky road over the past 41/2 years at the wheel of the police
department is to understate the case greatly.
Sabo, an outsider who took
over as Saskatoon's police chief after a career on the Calgary
force, walked into a simmering den of hostility that was the
legacy of then-mayor James Maddin's ouster of former chief Dave
Scott.
From the onset, Sabo's was
a difficult task, given Scott's relative popularity with the
rank and file.
The commission's inability
to articulate what it meant by "community policing"
-- the objective it wanted Sabo to deliver -- didn't help matters,
especially given the twists and turns the concept had taken under
Scott, who used it as a tool to wring budget boosts from the
city.
In an acrimonious police service
whose members have for decades made concerted attacks on chiefs
including Joe Penkala and Owen Maguire, being seen by the rank
and file as Maddin's guy made Sabo that much more of a target
in the insane internecine warfare of the department.
Although he undoubtedly was
victimized in a harassment allegation involving a local waitress
within weeks of his appointment, Sabo contributed to his own
woes with his conduct toward his executive secretary, and by
using derogatory terms such as "split tails" to describe
women in conversation with a staff member.
It's easy to see why officers
under the unwelcome glare of international scrutiny over allegations
of racism toward Natives and accusations they were conducting
"starlight tours" that may have led to the freezing
death of aboriginal men on the outskirts of Saskatoon may have
looked askance at an "outside" chief who had no particular
allegiance to them.
Since his hiring, Sabo has
fired four police officers whose professional conduct toward
Native people has been identified by the courts or judicial inquiries
to have been wrong. His attempts to build bridges with the city's
burgeoning aboriginal community have been seen by some front
line officers to be pandering.
It culminated with the Police
Association conducting a bizarre vote in 2003 that had 91 per
cent of members expressing non-confidence in their chief's leadership
and 95 per cent voting against the ability of the commission
to govern them.
Quite apart from the perception
the vote creates that the inmates think they are running the
asylum, the reality is that Saskatoon's Police Service needs
a strong leader.
To Sabo's credit, his force
has delivered good results in the areas of curbing break and
enters, and its case clearance rate is among Canada's best. He
has instituted an air patrol program that's paying dividends,
and his plans for an equine unit, if it's funded by the city,
is likely to prove similarly useful.
However, the service remains
mired in controversy, particularly the constant sniping from
the rank and file, and from its supporters in the community (often
retired police officers) against the chief.
The police commission has about
six weeks before it must inform Sabo about a possible contract
extension. Despite his belief that some measures he's taken will
take time to show results, the fact remains it's time to establish
if Sabo possesses the requisite leadership skills.
It has the information at its
disposal to determine if Sabo's record is strong enough to warrant
giving him more time to bring to fruition the objectives he's
set for the service, despite distractions such as the harassment
issue and his handling of the Dan Wiks case.
If the commission sees more
positives than negatives, it needs to tell him so and renew his
contract. If not, it has ample time to tell him so, and to adopt
revamped evaluation criteria and an assessment process that gives
all stakeholders some input in selecting a new chief.
Even having a representative
from the police union join an advisory group, whose members include
aboriginal representation, to help the police commission whittle
down prospective candidates to a short list, might be worth a
look.
The final decision will rest
with the commission and council, but any improvement to a system
that so far has yielded endless acrimony is bound to be better.
© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2006
Police board mulls Sabo's
fate
Darren Bernhardt, The
StarPhoenix, Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Police Chief Russ Sabo will
soon learn if his tenure as the city's top cop will wrap up or
be renewed.
A review of his performance
over the past 41/2 years is underway by the board of police commissioners.
A decision on his future must be made within six weeks as to
whether his contract will be extended beyond the expiration date
of Aug. 31, 2006.
Board members are tight-lipped
about the review and the criterion to be used.
"I really can't tell you
anything about the process because it's a personnel matter,"
said Mayor Don Atchison, chair of the board.
The contract will automatically
lapse if Sabo and the board do not agree in writing "on
or before Feb. 28, 2006," to extend it, according to the
terms of the deal signed Oct. 29, 2001.
"I've let the board know
I would like to be back," Sabo said. "There are still
lots of things we can do. A lot of people want to see immediate
results but you cannot go from point A to point B overnight.
There is a time transition that has to take place."
Since he became chief, Sabo
has overseen a number of changes within the police service such
as the creation of the street crimes unit, community liaison
officers, the community watch program and the graffiti reduction
task force, the only one of its kind in Canada.
The rate of break and enters
in the city has plummeted under his watch and the force's clearance
rates -- the time it takes to solve a crime -- are third best
in the country.
The EAGLE air patrol was launched
last summer as was a newly created committee on strategic renewal
to implement recommendations from the Neil Stonechild inquiry
report. As a result, a modified complaints process to address
concerns filed against officers will take effect this spring.
Among the top achievements
is the more ethnically diverse membership of the force to reflect
the community it represents, said Sabo. Last month, 20 new front-line
constables were hired. It was the most diverse class ever and
the biggest class since 1966.
Resolving the contract dispute
was also a key moment in 2005. That was a "cornerstone"
for other initiatives, such as putting more officers on the streets
on weekends and getting wages in line with other police departments
in the province, Sabo said.
But other matters have cast
a shadow on the service and put Sabo on the hot seat. In fact,
his seat was already warmed before he ever arrived as a result
of a number of the inquiries that put his force under the microscope.
"We've taken a few hits
as a police service but we have weathered the storm," Sabo
said. "Our people are resilient, working in the public eye
under some very stressful and difficult circumstances."
Coun. Myles Heidt, a member
of the police commission, credits Sabo with "moving the
yardstick" in regard to many initiatives but "there
are still some obvious problems." One of those is the internal
strife. The police association has routinely questioned Sabo's
leadership.
"It's no secret that relationship
has been strained at times," said Heidt. "All of those
issues have to be reviewed."
Coun. Tiffany Paulsen, another
member of the board, said discussions have been ongoing.
"We don't want to leave
a decision like this to the last moment," she said.
Sabo has worked to repair the
relationship between the aboriginal community and the police
service in the wake of the Stonechild inquiry. More officers
have been assigned as aboriginal liaisons and in June Sabo was
given an award from the Saskatchewan Intercultural Association
for those efforts.
But sometimes his overtures
have angered officers. The police association was particularly
peeved when Sabo apologized on their behalf to an aboriginal
actor in town from Toronto. The young man accused the police
of racial profiling for detaining him 10 minutes even though
he was running at 2 a.m. in an area where police were looking
for an assailant.
"Here's this guy apologizing
for us and making us look like idiots for doing our jobs,"
said an officer who wanted his name withheld. "There wasn't
even a complaint filed and investigated yet and he saying sorry
like we're wrong."
There has also been concern
about crime in the city, with one councillor calling for a knife
ban to curtail stabbings and robberies. But not all of the blame
can be shouldered on the police, said Sabo.
The service is handcuffed by
a lack of funding for more officers. The latest batch of recruits
won't increase the number of cops on the street, it will only
replace those retiring, said Sabo, noting public safety is also
the responsibility of everyone -- the government, public and
the media.
"Citizens must take the
proper precautions to prevent crime from happening in the first
place. It doesn't make sense to leave your home open with no
locks and have the Mona Lisa in your front room," he said.
"And the media has to make sure there are informed stories
going out so we're not creating an environment of public fear.
"There will be situations
that come down the pipe, it happens in every police department
from Vancouver to St. John's. I think people recognize that police
officers have the right to take somebody's freedom away, so we
are held to a standard which is very high.
"Sometimes, we make mistakes.
It happens."
dbernhardt@sp.canwest.com
- - -
CHRONOLOGY OF SABO'S TERM
Dec. 3, 2001 --Sabo starts
his job.
February 2002 --Sabo investigated
for "unwanted remarks and attentions" directed at a
waitress. She later comes forward to say he did nothing wrong,
that her boyfriend filed the complaint and she never wanted it
to go forward.
Jan. 9, 2003 --Little Chief
Community Station in Riversdale officially opens.
March 18, 2003 --Investigation
begins into harassment complaints against Sabo by executive assistant,
Gwen Findlater. She claims problems dating to 2001. Sabo put
on a paid leave and publicly apologized. The investigator finds
the complaints to be founded.
June 2003 -- A vote by rank-and-file
police officers results in 91 per cent expressing no confidence
in Sabo's leadership.
Sept. 1, 2004 -- Sabo charges
deputy chief Dan Wiks with two counts of discreditable conduct
Nov. 24, 2004 --Sabo's dress
uniform, police badge and several medals stolen after his home
was robbed. Addressing break and enters has been a goal of the
chief.
Jan. 20, 2005 -- Saskatoon
police experience the largest number of public complaints in
the force's history, a sudden jump credited to increased public
scrutiny.
Aug. 30, 2005 -- Wiks cleared
of discreditable conduct charges. He is later sentenced to a
one-day suspension but Sabo appeals. He wants Wiks, with whom
he has butted heads, to face a stiffer penalty.
Nov. 4, 2005 --Members of police
commission express anger with Sabo's dogged pursuit to find Wiks
guilty of major infraction. Hearings have already cost thousands
of tax dollars.
Nov. 12, 2004 --Sabo fires
constables Larry Hartwig and Brad Senger for failing to reveal
their connection to Neil Stonechild the night he was last seen
alive in November 1990.
Nov. 16, 2005 --Sabo orders
a freeze in discretionary spending to rope in budget deficit.
Nov. 17, 2005 --Collective
agreement reached with rank-and-file members after 20-month impasse.
Dec. 20, 2005 --Report by Saskatchewan
Labour's occupational health and safety division finds Gwen Klotz
(Findlater) was not fired as a result of frivolous complaints
against her by coworker, but as payback for harassment complaints
against Sabo.
Ran with fact box "Chronology
of Sabo's term" which has been appended to the story.
© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2006
Sabo needs support in
order to do his job
Richard Klassen and
Angie Geworsky, Special to The StarPhoenix, , March 18, 2005
The following
is the personal viewpoint of the writers, residents of Saskatoon.
Russ Sabo has been under scrutiny
since he accepted the position of Saskatoon's chief of police
in 2001. The negativity surrounding him casts a dark cloud over
the city and the police force that exists to protect it.
This cloud has been placed
there by certain members of the board of police commissioners
and police force, as well as some citizens. We would like to
recap what Sabo has done since he was hired as chief.
When Ken Munsen and Dan Hatchen
were charged, tried and convicted of unlawfully confining Darrell
Night, Sabo relieved them of their duties as police officers,
and rightly so.
When the court decision on
the Klassen-Kvello civil suit was handed down and former superintendent
Brian Dueck was found to have maliciously prosecuted the Klassen
and Kvello families, Sabo placed Dueck on leave and opened an
investigation into the officer's conduct for his role in the
investigation. Dueck retired minutes prior to Sabo's scheduled
meeting with him to inform him of the findings and what actions
would be taken.
When Justice David Wright's
findings of the Stonechild inquiry came down, Sabo immediately
fired officers Brad Senger and Larry Hartwig for their involvement
and conduct in the case. By all judicial rights they are entitled
to an appeal and have done so. However, Sabo did the correct
and appropriate step when he immediately relieved them of their
duties as police officers.
When deputy chief Dan Wiks
was seen to be deceitful regarding his knowledge of Senger and
Hartwig's involvement in the Stonechild case, Sabo placed him
on leave pending an investigation and hearing, which are currently
ongoing.
Since his appointment, Sabo
has fired four police officers who were found by judges to be
culpable of wrongdoing. He placed on leave an officer who was
found to have maliciously prosecuted innocent members of our
society, pending an investigation into his actions. Sabo placed
on leave yet another police officer who is currently under investigation.
The police officers who've
been relieved of their duties, as well as those on leave pending
further investigation, are veterans of the force. They were under
the command of chiefs prior to Sabo, yet it is surprising how
their conduct has never been an issue prior to Sabo's appointment.
Does everyone out there actually
believe that it is Sabo who has cooked up all this information
relating to these police officers, or are there others in Saskatoon
and elsewhere who believe as we do: that this police service
has had some corrupt officers for years, but only now does it
have a chief who is trying to do his job, making a difference
and doing the right thing by ridding the service of undesirable
officers?
The honest, hard working police
officers on this force stand a much better chance at being successful
in their jobs when they are not under the control of someone
who chooses to sidestep issues such as those mentioned above.
Sabo is our chief of police.
Nothing will be gained by a mutiny against him. No one is saying
that you have to make him your best friend, but as citizens,
members of the force and board of police commissioners, employees
of city hall and the mayor's office, should allow him and encourage
him to do what he was hired to do.
© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2005
Sabo, Klassen talk prompted
complaint
Rod Nickel, The StarPhoenix,
March 4, 2005
Coffee talk between Richard
Klassen and Saskatoon police Chief Russ Sabo about former police
superintendent Brian Dueck's pension prompted the retired officer's
complaint against the chief.
Klassen gave his account Thursday
to a provincial police complaints investigator in Saskatoon.
In an interview, Klassen said
Sabo bought him and now-retired deputy chief Don MacEwan coffee
at Octane restaurant days after Dueck's unexpected retirement
on Dec. 20, 2004.
The restaurant is adjacent
to the Saskatoon police station and a favourite meeting place
for officers. Sabo suggested the meeting to explain why Dueck
is entitled to his pension, despite a judge's finding in December
2003 that Dueck and others maliciously prosecuted Klassen and
members of his extended family in the early 1990s.
The complaint alleges that
Sabo breached Dueck's privacy by discussing his personal financial
situation, Klassen said.
"There were no numbers,
no figures (talked about)," Klassen said. "Sabo didn't
bad-mouth Dueck, period. He was very professional, I thought,
and disappointing to me because I would have liked to have gotten
his opinion of what he might have done to Dueck (if he could).
He wouldn't give me any such information."
The Saskatchewan Police Act
protects Dueck's right to collect a pension without facing a
disciplinary hearing, Klassen said he was told by Sabo.
"The whole meeting was
(called) to assure me that this is the way things happen in the
police protocol," Klassen said. "And there was nothing
they could do about it. I'm not happy with it but I have to accept
it."
Klassen said he doesn't know
who overheard his conversation with Sabo and reported it to Dueck,
but said their meeting drew stares from some officers.
A source confirmed Klassen's
account of the complaint is accurate.
Efforts to reach Dueck Wednesday
were unsuccessful.
Klassen said Dueck's complaint
against Sabo, which came to light Tuesday at an unrelated disciplinary
inquiry for deputy chief Dan Wiks, has been difficult for him.
"It's dragging me into
this thing again. I don't understand why (Dueck) is concerned.
I didn't think I bad-mouthed him in any way either. The judge
found what they found.
"I just wish it was over,
completely over."
Supt. Gary Broste, president
of the Saskatoon Police Executive Officers Association, of which
Dueck had been a member, and City Police Association president
Const. Stan Goertzen said their associations had no influence
in Dueck laying the complaint.
"Who cares?" Goertzen
said. "It doesn't really affect anybody (on the force)."
Klassen said he takes some
solace in the fact that the timing of Dueck's retirement may
have cost him a final top-up to his pension. The federal government
raised the ceiling on pensions this year, Broste confirmed.
The move affects many pension
plans across Canada, including that of the Saskatoon Police Service.
It's not known if Dueck's pension is near the ceiling.
"In general terms, you
had to be working in 2005 to use the 2005 ceiling," Broste
said.
Klassen said Sabo didn't confirm
in their conversation that Dueck will miss out on the top-up.
Sabo has declined comment on
details of the complaint while it's being independently investigated.
© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2005
Rant: Chief Sabo has
shown himself to be useless and dishonest. Police cannot be made
accountable to the public and the chief thinks that is just a
fact of life we should all live with.
 After
allowing Dueck to retire without being charged, Sabo refused
to talk to the press. (The press release stated there was nothing
could be done because of the Police Act, a piece of provincial
legislation which Quennell said, when interviewed, is apparently
some kind of sacred document he doesn't want to get involved
with.)
Sabo did, however,
arrange to meet Richard Klassen for coffee. Klassen went alone
and Sabo took Sgt. Don MacEwan along with him to the noisy coffee
shop where they took Klassen for coffee and metaphorically patted
him on the head and told him he was a hero and that cleaning
up the force takes time. Richard should stop being so negative.
La de da de da.
Richard gave
a short interview to the media following this coffee. It was
clear from what was shown on television that he had been in the
hands of officers trained in brainwashing and pacification. He
let the chief off the hook in the interview and apologized for
being so negative. It was horrible to watch. This was just before
Christmas.
I have spoken
to Richard Klassen since that day and I am reassured that he
has no intention of letting the Chief, or Dueck, or anyone else
off the hook. I will be interviewing him shortly for injusticebusters
where he will present his point of view on this matter.
Watch for this
interview in days to come, including a list of the Criminal Code
offences Dueck got away with. See also Larry Lockwood's "viewpoint"
in the StarPhoenix. Saskatchewan would seem to be a province
of thieves: it is divided between those who steal and those who
are stolen from. This story from Davidson illustrates the point.
And it wasn't even a lawyer committing the "legal"
theft!
Did Christine Silverberg
and her "community policing" rhetoric take us all for
an expensive ride?
You will recall
that after former Mayor Jim Maddin got around to firing Dave
Scott (the guy who promoted Dueck) Dave Matthews from Calgary
was brought in as temporary chief and Christine
Silverberg was
paid a swack of money to help us choose a new one. Now that we
have had a couple years with her choice, which was based on studies
of police culture and a lot of hype about "community policing,"
I think it is safe to say we were robbed.
December 29
is the one year anniversary of Judge Baynton's historic decision. As you will note
from the story posted below, the Saskatchewan government is pulling
out all its weaponry to make sure that the decision doesn't stand.
As I write this, I ask the question: were we living in a delusionary
world where judge's decisions carry some weight or were we duped?
Sabo's apparent
strategy: First, pacify Klassen and then pacify the public
City police seek
approval to add officers
Rod Nickel, The StarPhoenix,
January 14, 2005
The Saskatoon Police Service
is proposing to hire 14 more officers and civilian staff in 2005,
one year after city council approved the addition of 20 new constables.
The proposed new hirings represent
a mix of eight senior officers and constables and six civilians.
At least one of the appointments
is aimed at satisfying recommendations of the Stonechild inquiry
-- hiring a constable to recruit aboriginal and Metis candidates
for the force.
Chief Russ Sabo said he's "positive"
the new additions will make a big difference in how the force
operates.
"I think we're taking
some huge steps."
The board of police commissioners
will consider Thursday the $43.3-million net operating budget
(the $46.8-million gross budget minus revenue and senior government
grants). It represents a $3.1-million, or 7.6 per cent, net increase
from a year ago. The cost of the 14 new positions would ring
in at $405,000 this year and a further $472,000 in 2006 when
the new staff worked a full year.
Along with a constable to help
recruit a more diverse force, the police service wants to hire:
- A civilian communications
co-ordinator. "The purpose of this is to improve our relationship
with the media and make sure we get a clear, concise message
to the public," said Acting Insp. Jeff Bent, the force's
current spokesperson. Many Canadian police forces use civilians
in communications, he notes;
- A sergeant to investigate
homicides. Several of last year's nine homicides have not yet
resulted in charges. The current six investigators were also
busy last year with 42 suspicious deaths;
- Two constables for the special
investigations unit. This unit is charged with surveillance of
known criminals and collection of cast-off DNA from suspects.
It was key to laying charges in the 2000 Jaime Wheeler murder,
Bent said.
- Two sergeants to work in
forensic identification. Auto thefts, break and enters and robberies
have risen dramatically in the last decade, but the unit's staffing
levels haven't changed since the 1970s, Bent said.
"You have shows like CSI
and the expectations of the public and courts of DNA collection
that have placed incredible demands," he said.
- A staff-sergeant for the
internal investigations unit. The police service has a backlog
of complaints against officers that need investigation. Hiring
a high-ranking officer will help ensure the officer being investigated
doesn't out-rank the investigator. "We're trying to be transparent
and open in investigation allegations," Bent said;
- An in-house lawyer and secretary.
Police taxed the city solicitor's office last year to the extent
that the force had to hire independent law firms for advice.
The lawyer would represent the force at the upcoming Milgaard
inquiry, for example;
- A civilian manager of the
police fleet of vehicles and facilities;
- A civilian human resources
division manager to replace a retired superintendent. The executive
officer position will move into a job more geared toward policing,
with a civilian with human resources expertise taking over the
division;
- A sergeant for the eight-member
canine unit;
- A civilian planning analyst
to evaluate how effective police programs are.
Of the 20 constables the force
was authorized to hire last year, it found only 12 due to a shortage
of suitable candidates. Hirings of the remaining eight have been
deferred until fall in the budget.
Const. Stan Goertzen, president
of the Saskatoon City Police Association, said police needs haven't
changed from a year ago.
"We still need more people
on the street. The call loads are still as high as they were."
The budget also includes pilot
projects for a mounted patrol unit and air support unit.
The board of commissioners
has authority to make changes to the budget before it goes before
city council for final approval. Council has authority only to
approve the budget or reject it outright.
© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2005
Sabo gathers recruiting ideas
The StarPhoenix, January
11, 2005
Police Chief Russell Sabo heard
ideas Monday to encourage Natives to apply for police work.
The strategic renewal committee
was struck last year by the Saskatoon police commission to respond
to recommendations of the Stonechild inquiry report. It met with
Sabo, the city police association and representatives of two
aboriginal post-secondary institutions.
A Saskatchewan Indian Institute
of Technology (SIIT) official suggested Saskatoon police officers
visit its classrooms more often, Sabo said.
"They had 70 graduates
last year that are looking for additional employment. This is
the perfect recruiting opportunity for us to get in and see if
any of these students would be interested in becoming members
of the service," Sabo said in an interview.
First Nations University of
Canada officials told Sabo the some of their students are already
enrolled in social work programs. Those students could get work
experience required by their programs with the police service,
Sabo said.
© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2005
The whitewash
buckets are out
(If
Dueck hangs on until the New Year, he'll get full pension)
scroll down for StarPhoenix
story on costs
The Saskatchewan
Justice Department has looked at Dueck's file and found no basis
for criminal charges! (below)
Chief Sabo
deliberately misled us. It was my understanding that Dueck's
file had been sent for review to an agency outside the province.
I recall that
when Quinney told the press that the Satanic cult/child abuse
investigations had been examined by an Alberta judge and no wrongdoing
was found, he led us to believe that a full whitewash had been
completed. Only later did we discover he had sent only a partial
file on Martensville and nothing on the Klassen/Kvello/Ross,
Ross and White files.
Chief Sabo
has led us to believe that he sent out of province a good selection
of Dueck's files from the last five years. He told us more than
three months ago that the reason the review is taking so long
is that they want to be very thorough. We would all agree that
a thorough job has not been done.
One file that
should stand out is the Kim Cooper interrogation by Dueck and
Murray Zoorkan. Is it legal for cops to threaten a man by telling
him his family will be attacked by Hell's Angels in order to
get him to sign a statement? Judge Laing didn't think so and
the case was thrown out.
There is much
more to be said about this.
Dueck ran an
"investigation" for which he tied up many resources
of the Saskatoon Police, kept no notes, logged in buckets of
overtime and built a "reputation" based on lies. He
was promoted from corporal to sergeant while he was allowing
the rape, sodomy and torture of two eight year old girls.
The corrupt
provincial justice department may see cleansing Dueck as a first
step towards cleansing their corrupt prosecutions department.
They promised Richard Klassen they would expedite their appeal
against Miazga's conviction. Another lie.
Chief Sabo
has now summoned Dueck to meet with him Monday.
We don't know
if Dueck will be found "unsuitable for police work"
under the police act. We expect that he will be found so, and
fired. This is definitely a case of half-closing the barn door
after the horses have escaped. He has cost the City of Saskatoon
enough money to build a full-fledged detox center. The truth
is that he is not suitable to be at large in the population.
He has committed criminal acts by conspiring with a prosecutor
to put innocent people in jail. He soaked his police badge in
discredit and while he was doing this, he actively sought and
received promotions all the way to Superintendent. He defrauded
the public.
The audible
part of his interview with Beryl Stonechild clearly shows he
solicited perjured testimony.
Suspended, on-leave cops
costly
Rod Nickel, The StarPhoenix,
December 10, 2004
The Saskatoon Police Service
has paid more than $225,000 this year in wages to officers who
have been suspended or placed on leave while their conduct is
under investigation.
Legal costs associated with
the paid leaves or suspensions of deputy chief Dan Wiks, Supt.
Brian Dueck and constables Larry Hartwig and Brad Senger have
also been enough to break the police legal budget, confirms Chief
Russell Sabo.
Dueck's medical leave has been
the longest and most costly. He will collect virtually all of
his salary this year, despite being off duty since January. His
earnings and allowances were $133,998 last year, $8,000 more
than the chief's earnings, according to a public accounts report
issued annually by city hall.
Sabo has ordered Dueck or a
representative to meet with him privately Monday as the chief
considers whether his conduct merits discipline. A Court of Queen's
Bench justice found in December that Dueck helped maliciously
prosecute a dozen people on false sexual abuse charges in the
early 1990s.
Wiks was placed on administrative
leave on March 12. Those 42 weeks off duty this year paid him
at least $85,000, pro-rated from his 2003 earnings of $105,599.
Wiks faces two charges of discreditable
conduct arising from an untrue statement he made in a May 2003
StarPhoenix interview. He has denied the charges.
Wiks told a reporter that the
police service did not know Hartwig and Senger were suspects
in an RCMP investigation into the 1990 death of Neil Stonechild.
Hartwig and Senger were in
limbo the shortest length of time, spending 17 days on paid suspension
this fall. Based on their 2003 earnings, Hartwig and Senger collected
at least $3,380 and $3,012 respectively during their suspensions,
following the release of a damning inquiry report into the death
of Neil Stonechild.
The city solicitor's department
performs some of the police service's legal work, but the force
has also sought outside legal opinions about conduct of its officers.
It has overspent the legal budget this year, something it normally
doesn't come close to exhausting, Sabo said.
"Anytime we have to pay
and don't have people working, it's significant," said Mayor
Don Atchison, chair of the Saskatoon board of police commissioners.
"But I want you to know,
the police chief and the board of police commissioners have no
control over that. It's the law (that dictates the circumstances
in which officers are paid) under the Police Act."
Special Const. Charlene Lavallee,
who is facing charges of discreditable conduct for alleged abusive
behaviour toward a civilian and insubordination for twice disobeying
orders to turn over her badge, is on unpaid suspension, said
her lawyer Greg Curtis.
Just as significant as cost
are the gaps the officers have left in the force.
Wiks's leave has pressed now-acting
deputy chief Bernie Pannell into his duties, while another senior
officer fills in for Pannell as head of the community services
division.
Dueck headed up the force's
records management division until taking medical leave. Officers
have been rotating into his position about every four months.
The police service has moved
a constable off patrol and into Hartwig's former duties as a
community liaison officer. Senger's job, working with schools,
is not yet filled.
"You have to move your
staff to deliver the services that people expect," Sabo
said. "We don't want to leave any one area understaffed
for any great length of time.
"It's a very difficult
balancing act for us."
Questionable conduct by police
officers has tied up officers in other ways, too. During most
of the 43 days the Stonechild inquiry sat between 2003 and 2004,
the police service assigned one or two senior officers to monitor
the proceedings daily.
Lawyers for the officers couldn't
be reached for comment.
Sabo himself was paid about
$18,460 during his eight-week leave of absence in 2003 while
harassment allegations by his executive secretary were investigated.
Wiks filled in as acting chief.
© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2004
Dueck,
Sabo meeting postponed
The StarPhoenix, December
14, 2004
A meeting ordered by Saskatoon
Police Chief Russell Sabo with Supt. Brian Dueck has been postponed
until next Monday at 1 p.m.
Sabo had ordered Dueck to appear
on Monday for a review under the Saskatchewan Police Act to assess
his suitability or competence for police service.
In December 2003 during a civil
trial, a Queen's Bench judge found Dueck maliciously prosecuted
a dozen sexual abuse charges in the 1990s. In a case where Dueck
was the lead investigator, more than a dozen members of the Klassen
and Kvello families were charged based on information given by
three foster children. In 1994, 12 of the accused, whose charges
were stayed, sued for malicious prosecution.
Dueck is currently on medical
leave from the force.
His appearance before Sabo
was postponed to allow him time to give his lawyer instructions
on the meeting, a police media release said.
Dueck
to face police chief
Rod Nickel, The StarPhoenix,
December 8, 2004
Police Chief Russell Sabo has
ordered Supt. Brian Dueck or a representative on his behalf to
appear before him Monday as the chief considers the officer's
future with the force.
Justice George Baynton found
in December that Dueck maliciously prosecuted a dozen people
on false sexual abuse charges in the early 1990s. The officer
dropped his appeal of the ruling in July.
Dueck was the lead police investigator
in the case, which was based largely on the fabricated stories
of three foster children. He has been on paid medical leave since
January.
Sabo first asked a private
law firm to review Baynton's judgment, then asked the Saskatchewan
Justice Department to assign an independent police agency to
review the matter.
On Dec. 2, he received an opinion
from Saskatchewan Justice that there's an insufficient basis
to conduct a criminal investigation of Dueck's conduct.
The closed-door review falls
under Section 60 of the Saskatchewan Police Act dealing with
incompetence and unsuitability -- the same process Sabo followed
with constables Larry Hartwig and Brad Senger, whom he fired
Nov. 12 in the aftermath of the Neil Stonechild inquiry.
Dueck has been served a notice
to appear. A lawyer or official from the police executive officers
association may appear in his place.
"This matter has been
outstanding for a significant amount of time," Sabo said.
"I want to be able to deal with the matter as expeditiously
as possible."
Once Sabo takes time to consider
Dueck's side, he'll look at options ranging from reinstating
the officer to suspending, demoting or firing him.
"(At) minimum, he has
to be fired," said Richard Klassen, one of the victims.
"He can't retire and collect a pension. . . . Certainly
it's conduct unbecoming an officer.
"If this doesn't happen
the way it should happen, then it's never going to be resolved.
My whole aim was to bring justice, not just for our family. If
this police officer stays on the force or retires with a pension,
it was all for nothing.
"It's one thing to hear
an apology from the chief and the police department, it's another
to see something done about it."
Klassen said he's prepared
to resume demonstrating in front of the police station if there's
any decision short of dismissal.
"I wouldn't let this guy
go," he said.
Efforts to reach Dueck were
unsuccessful.
More than a dozen members of
the Klassen and Kvello families were charged in 1991 with abusing
the children.
The charges eventually were
stayed against 12 of them, while a controversial plea bargain
saw one accused, Peter Klassen, plead guilty to some of the charges.
In 1994, the 12 who had their
charges stayed sued for malicious prosecution. The case dragged
on for nearly 10 years before Baynton ruled in their favour against
Dueck, Crown prosecutor Matthew Miazga and therapist Carol Bunko-Ruys.
© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2004
|
Truth can never be
told so as to be understood, and not be believ'd. 
