To B.C. Justice Minister
Suzanne Anton
Police complaint commissioner Stan Lowe’s
collusion in a Vancouver police cover-up
shows an urgent need to reform the OPCC
From: Greg Klein
gklein79@hotmail.com
January 28, 2014
To: Suzanne Anton
Minister of Justice, British Columbia
jag.minister@gov.bc.ca
Dear Ms. Anton:
As B.C. justice minister, you should be informed that police complaint commissioner Stan T. Lowe and his staff colluded in a Vancouver police cover-up and that deputy police complaint commissioner Rollie Woods publicly lied about the case.
Some dates that Lowe was forced to divulge in a Notice of Public Hearing released November 12, 2013, further substantiate the cover-up jointly conducted by Vancouver police and the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner.
On June 9, 2010, VPD constable Taylor Robinson shoved a disabled woman, Sandy Davidsen, to the sidewalk for no apparent reason.
Vancouver Police Professional Standards officers learned of the incident by June 11, 2010, when they interviewed the victim. But they did not order a Criminal Code investigation, order a Police Act investigation, or inform the OPCC, as they were required to do by law. Instead they covered up the incident.
The OPCC learned about Robinson’s actions on June 28, 2010, but from the victim, not the police. At that point Lowe, Woods and their staff were legally required to order a Police Act investigation into Robinson’s actions and another Police Act investigation into the VPD Professional Standards officers who covered up Robinson’s actions. Additionally Lowe, Woods and their staff were required to monitor the investigations while they were taking place and provide direction if the OPCC believed the investigations were handled inadequately. Lowe and his staff did none of those things. They colluded in the Vancouver police cover-up.
Media learned about Robinson’s actions on July 22, 2010, when the B.C. Civil Liberties Association released surveillance video. It was only after the extensive publicity that began on July 22, 2010, that the OPCC and VPD agreed to have Robinson investigated. No investigation has ever been ordered into the VPD cover-up, in which the OPCC colluded.
Further evidence of the OPCC’s dishonest handling of this case comes from a letter by Woods that was posted on the Georgia Straight website on December 5, 2013. In the letter Woods falsely claims that Lowe has ordered a public hearing “in particular to look into why the police did not notify this office of the pushing incident and instead undertook some type of informal resolution process that is outside of the Police Act.” That statement is completely false—Lowe has not ordered a public hearing into the police cover-up. Woods had no excuse for thinking his statement was in any way accurate. Even if Woods did somehow manage to accidentally misinform, the OPCC was required to issue a public correction. The fact that the OPCC didn’t further suggests that Woods deliberately lied to the public and did so with Lowe’s knowledge. That further demonstrates their lack of integrity.
Lowe, Woods and others at the OPCC are dishonest public officials who take advantage of their lack of transparency and accountability to support police misconduct. As justice minister, you have the responsibility to introduce legislative changes to reform a corrupt institution.
From Greg Klein
Read more about the Stan Lowe/Rollie Woods/OPCC cover-up
of VPD constable Taylor Robinson’s assault on a disabled woman
Read more about B.C.’s Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner
Read more news and comment about police accountability in B.C.