|
Sabo
2003 | Sabo 2004 | Sabo
2005 | Suicide in police
cells | So-called detox
centre |
 Saskatoon
Police Chief Russell Sabo: Who
is really in charge? | May 2003: Crisis
of Confidence
Mayor Jim Maddin
record since his election: Maddin for mayor | Choosing a chief | Sheila Steele's Nov. 2001 letter
to city hall | Chief Sabo
begins to rise to the occasion | Mayor
Maddin finds his footing
Before Sabo, there was
Matthews, brought in to replace Scott who had replaced Owen Maguire
who was chief at the time of the foster parent trials and while
Milgaard was being settled out. Dueck has been there throughout, moving up the ranks
. . .See Chicago Police Chief Needham | Playing with
stats | The hair-touching incident: Embarrassing silliness or blatant
diversion? | Cst.
Kevin Montgomery:
busted in Regina, says if he was in Saskatoon, police would not
have busted him for assaulting a waitress.
Saskatoon Police Service could
be called the Teflon police service. The only thing they do well
is spend money. They apologize for nothing, take responsibility
for nothing, ignore advice from inquiries, rig inquiries, cover
up scandals and get the public to pay for their defence lawyers
when they actually get caught doing something criminal.
Who catches them? Disadvantaged
west side folks like Darrell Night and injusticebusters. Darrell night had to go through an amazing
labyrinth of fear and a bit of luck to get his case heard. And,
with evidence of attempted homicide placed before a jury, the
cops who tried to kill him got convicted of unlawful confinement.
injusticebusters have had the goods on Brian Dueck
for eight years. We simply cannot get him charged.
We had hoped that perhaps Mayor Jim Maddin was sincere in his
promise to clean things up. He was elected by the west side which
has continued to decline since his election.
We have waited a while before
commenting on the new Chief. There is virtually nothing to say.
There is no question that Brian Dueck
is the senior official in the department. Things can only get
worse.
The talk about "community
policing" was a cruel tease.
Police chief's assistant still
off job
The
StarPhoenix, September 11, 2003
 The woman who complained that Saskatoon
Police Chief Russell Sabo harassed her while she worked as his
executive assistant is still not back at work.
In March, the Saskatoon Police
Commission hired an independent investigator to look into Gwen
Findlater's complaints that Sabo touched her hair, made comments
about her perfume, and suggested she wear to bed a T-shirt that
he gave her. Of 42 complaints, five were deemed by the investigator
to have merit.
Sabo was on a paid leave of
absence for eight weeks while the investigation was ongoing and
then returned to work after he publicly apologized for his actions.
Findlater, who vowed she would
continue to work as the chief's executive assistant, went on
stress leave ordered by her doctor.
On Wednesday, the acting chair
of the police commission, Mayor Jim Maddin, confirmed Findlater
is still off the job but wouldn't say when she would be back
at work.
When telephoned at home, Findlater
said she had no comment to make.
© Copyright
2003 The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon)
Sabo wants more time with harassment
file:
Complainant won't receive report until police chief finishes
responding to it
Darren
Bernhardt, StarPhoenix, April 25, 2003
Police Chief Russ Sabo has
requested more time to review the report into his alleged workplace
harassment, which means at least another week before anything
becomes public.
The board of police commissioners
had announced details of the investigation, which began March
18, would be released by week's end. On Thursday, Sabo requested
extra time to go through the document, prepared by an out-of-province
human resources consultant.
Sabo could not be reached for
comment Thursday.
 The
board was set to reveal some of the findings of the report by
the end of this week but that has now shifted to "the end
of next week or early the following week," according to
a press release sent out Thursday.
"He's asked for time to
fully consider it. To be fair and right, that's only appropriate,"
said board chair Leanne Bellegarde Daniels. "We want to
deal with this as soon as possible so we hope to hear back from
him early next week."
The complainant does not yet
have a copy of the report and won't until Sabo has responded,
said Bellegarde Daniels.
"It will be made available
after we hear back from the chief and after any handling of the
chief needs to be done," she said.
She has described the report
as lengthy but would not indicate how many pages it contained
or how many witnesses were questioned.
"The particulars of the
report are sensitive, as you can understand. It contained a preliminary
executive summary and a detailed analysis but it is not all-inclusive
of all of the statements," she said. "It has the evidence
and the particulars relied upon. It was substantial."
The board received the investigator's
report on Tuesday and began deliberations that day. After a four-hour
meeting, they said little.
"We spoke with the consultant
about the best means of preparing a report that would allow us
to share that with you in fullness without compromising anybody's
identity. As you can appreciate, those are very serious matters
that deal with employer and employee relationships," Bellegarde
Daniels said on Tuesday. "We have not made a decision as
to the conclusions that were presented."
There have been suggestions
the board is working on a buyout for Sabo because of the difficult
situation that would be created by having him back at work with
the complainant.
"I think it would be tough
for anyone to come back under these circumstances" Bellegarde
Daniels said on Tuesday. "They're difficult situations and
until we have a decision as a board, that we have addressed with
the chief, we don't know the circumstances under which he will
be coming back."
Sabo told The StarPhoenix this
week he is fond of Saskatoon and wants to continue as the top
cop.
"This is a great city
and the people are wonderful," he said. "I've really
enjoyed my time here and, at this point, I have every intention
of continuing, unless the board has other plans."
The cost of the investigation
has still to be addressed, said Bellegarde Daniels.
"At this time it is still
premature. There is still some work outstanding and all of the
costs have not yet been finalized."
Mayor Jim Maddin, also a board
member, denied having known about the complaint weeks before
it became public, saying "a disclosure was made to me, personally,
and I took immediate action" by going to the board of commissioners.
The investigation was launched
after a city police staff member complained of "unacceptable
comments" made by Sabo. Sabo has since been on a paid leave
of absence.
According to media reports,
he commented on the perfume of a female colleague but Bellegarde
Daniels won't discuss specifics. She has said more than one incident
occurred over several months between the complainant and Sabo.
© Copyright 2003 The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon)
City awaits report
on harassment complaint against police chief
Lana
Haight, The StarPhoenix, April 12, 2003
The investigation launched
after a city police staff member complained of "unacceptable
comments" from police Chief Russell Sabo is almost complete,
according to the chair of the board of police commissioners.
Leanne Bellegarde Daniels expects
the report of an out-of-province human resources consultant will
be in the hands of the commissioners next week.
Sabo has been on a paid leave
of absence since the middle of March after a Saskatoon Police
Service staff member launched a complaint against him over alleged
comments she considered unacceptable.
According to media reports,
Sabo commented on the perfume of a female colleague. Bellegarde
Daniels won't discuss the specifics of the complaint. However
she has said that more than one incident occurred over several
months between the complainant and Sabo.
The consultant has interviewed
the complainant and the police chief. The investigation is taking
longer than anticipated because the consultant hasn't finished
interviewing "a number of witnesses" said Bellegarde
Daniels.
"You always hope these
things are done sooner rather than later and, by the time you
get into them, it seems longer than you ever originally anticipated."
In an interview on Friday,
Bellegarde Daniels committed to making a public statement once
the commissioners receive the report. Because of next week's
long weekend, she expects nothing will be made public until after
Easter Monday.
"Whether it's by way of
a press release or a press conference, we will give some notification
publicly," she said.
The investigation into Sabo's
comments and the commission's decision that he take a paid leave
of absence were not publicly acknowledged by Bellegarde Daniels
until after The StarPhoenix contacted her. She and the commission
have been criticized for not being more forthcoming with the
media about the investigation.
© Copyright 2003 The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon)
Recommendations
will be taken seriously, Chief says
cbc, | Feb 15 2002 07:25
AM EST
SASKATOON - The Saskatoon Police
Service says it will review its policies, after the coroner's
inquest into the death of Lawrence Wegner.
A jury ruled Thursday that
there was not enough evidence to determine the cause of Wegner's
death. His frozen body was found on the outskirts of the city
two years ago.
The coroner's jury made ten
recommendations dealing with police practices. Among them were
suggestions for improved note-taking and 911 operator training.
Saskatoon Police Chief Russell
Sabo says he will take the recommendations seriously.
"We are going to work
very hard to do what we can to make sure that we do not have
these kinds of situations again," says Saskatoon Police
Chief Russell Sabo, adding he will take the recommendations seriously.
"This is important to us. We want to make sure that our
department is above reproach. We need the cooperation of all
of the members of the city, not just certain segments. The aboriginal
peoples are important to the Saskatoon Police Service,"
Sabo says.
Having said that, another inquest
into the freezing death of an aboriginal man last November made
several recommendations about police conduct. Sabo says all of
those recommendations were looked at, but only some of them were
implemented.
Server wants incident with chief to
go away
Shannon Boklaschuk, Saskatoon
StarPhoenix, Feb. 22, 02
An allegation against Saskatoon's
police chief has been "blown out of proportion," says
the president of the Saskatoon Club, where the alleged incident
took place.
"I guess basically there
was an incident that people seem to think is more than what it
was," said Dick Ramsay in an interview Thursday.
Chief Russell Sabo is under
investigation for alleged "unwanted remarks and attentions"
directed at a female server in a local restaurant last month.
Ramsay said the server wears
hair extensions and a comment was made that she had nice hair.
"The server has unique
hair and it was braided and the gentleman felt that it was worth
touching," said Ramsay.
"And that's all he did
was touch her hair, and whatever's happened from that point on
is just getting blown out of proportion.
"I assume as he touched
her hair, she says just one of his fingers touched her cheek.
But she said she didn't feel it was any kind of come-on or anything
else."
Ramsay said the server, who
is about 20 years old and has worked at the establishment for
about a year, "does not want to pursue anything. She doesn't
want to lay any charges or complaints.
"Basically, she just wants
this to go away," said Ramsay.
Ramsay added the server never
approached the police with a complaint against Sabo. He said
he's not sure how the police became aware of the alleged incident.
"I guess she was interviewed
by the police about it and I'm unaware how they got a hold of
it," Ramsay said.
"I guess the police did
interview her and ask her for her statement, which she gave.
. . . She was informed it was strictly a statement and nothing
would happen."
When asked about the allegations,
Const. Stan Goertzen, president of the Saskatoon City Police
Association, said: "Whoever this girl is that's involved,
she obviously complained to somebody, because this didn't get
to the police station by osmosis.
"There's somebody that
she knows that approached the police. It was a third party who
complained."
Meanwhile, the Saskatoon board
of police commissioners held an emergency meeting behind closed
doors Thursday evening to discuss the allegations against Sabo.
"It was to update board
members on the status where the events of the past few days have
been, and to confirm the matter is under investigation,"
said police commission chair Leanne Bellegarde Daniels, who declined
to comment further.
"It was internal board
matters, so no, I really can't comment on that."
© Copyright 2002 Saskatoon
StarPhoenix
Saskatoon police chief cleared
cbc Mar 8, 2002
SASKATOON - Saskatoon's new police chief, Russell
Sabo, has been cleared of any wrong-doing following a recent
complaint about his conduct.
'The press has a responsibility
to not report something until allegations are sustained.' The
complaint involved comments Sabo was alleged to have made to
a waitress at a Saskatoon restaurant. The chair of the Saskatoon
Board of Police Commissioners, Leanne Bellegarde Daniels, says
that there are no grounds for action in the case.
Sabo is relieved by the findings.
However, the police chief is also concerned about the impact
this will have on future complaints because there was so much
publicity surrounding the initial allegation. He's worried that
it will have the effect of discouraging future complaints.
"We would encourage anybody
that has a complaint against the police to feel comfortable in
coming forward without any fear of suspicion, ridicule or personal
hardship," says Sabo. "In this case, I think the system
let down the complainant. I think the press has a responsibility
to not report something until allegations are sustained."
Sabo declined to comment on
any details of the complaint.
Rash of street robberies put
city police on alert: Large number of young suspects alarming,
police say
Shannon Boklaschuk, StarPhoenix,
April 23, 2002
People should be extra careful
when walking alone in Saskatoon following a series of weekend
street robberies perpetrated by suspects as young as 11 years
of age, city police say.
Const. Grant Little said seven
street robberies took place between 12:30 a.m. Friday and 10:25
p.m. Saturday. On average, only one such incident takes place
per day, he said.
In two of the robberies, 11-year-olds
were arrested, while in another, two female youths were taken
into custody.
In another incident, two 20-year-old
men and a 15-year-old male youth were arrested. There are no
suspects in the other three robberies, said Little.
Little said the unusually high
number of incidents, the threats of violence associated with
them and the age of the suspects involved are all factors of
concern to police. The majority of the robberies occurred on
the west side of the city, he said, and most of them involved
youth robbing other youth.
While one victim was struck
and another victim was pushed to the ground, Little said there
were no serious injuries.
He called the series of robberies
"disturbing," and said police are hoping a trend isn't
emerging. "At least four of these seven incidents happened
during daylight hours or early evening. So certainly, I guess,
the bottom line is they can occur at any time," said Little.
Robbery: Police say incidents
increase as weather warms up
"Obviously, these types
of crimes are not done necessarily by adults, they're done by
young people -- some of which are, disturbingly enough, of an
age where they cannot be charged."
In a Friday night robbery,
a knife-wielding boy stole a hand-held electronic game from another
youth at around 7:20 p.m. in the 300 block of Avenue P South.
An 11-year-old boy was apprehended.
Little noted a youth cannot be charged as a young offender until
he or she is at least 12 years old.
In another case, two 20-year-old
men and a 15-year-old male are accused of taking a baseball cap
and a bunny hug from a 16-year-old. That robbery, which took
place at about 3:50 p.m. on Saturday, occurred at 22nd Street
and Avenue R. A knife was also used in that incident.
Little said in most of the
robberies, only a small amount of property was taken. In the
case involving the two young females, for example, a bus pass
and some lip balm was stolen. Hats and small amounts of cash
were also stolen during some of the robberies.
Little said in most of the
cases, the suspects approached individuals who were by themselves.
He said people should avoid walking alone and should stay on
well-lit streets where there's likely to be other people around.
Little said police have no
explanation for the large number of weekend street robberies.
"We don't have anything
to explain it, other than just as a general rule of thumb, as
the weather warms up the number of incidents do rise," he
said.
"Generally, we're busier
when the weather's warm. Whether that's what's occurred here
or not, I guess that remains to be seen."
© Copyright 2002 Saskatoon
StarPhoenix
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