Pubdate: Thu, 19 Feb 2015
Source: National Post (Canada)
Copyright: 2015 Canwest Publishing Inc.
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/wEtbT4yU
Website: http://www.nationalpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/286
Authors: Tiffany Crawford and Kim Bolan
Page: A5

17 OFFICERS PROBED FOR ALLEGED MISCONDUCT

These are very serious allegations

VANCOUVER * Seventeen police officers with the force in Abbotsford,
B.C., are under investigation for corruption, deceit and neglect of
duty, the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner announced Wednesday
=2E

The Office says the 148 allegations relate to statements the officers
provided before search warrants were issued.

An officer in Vancouver is also being investigated on separate but
related concerns, Rollie Woods, deputy police complaint commissioner,
said Wednesday.

He said the office is concerned that people may have been falsely
prosecuted if officers gave misleading or inaccurate information to
obtain search warrants.

"These are very serious allegations," he said. "It could affect the
ability of a police officer to testify in court or to apply for a
search warrant."

The investigation began two years ago when Abbotsford Chief Constable
Bob Rich suspected that one of his officers, Const. Christopher
Nicholson, was engaged in criminal activity.

Const. Rich asked the Vancouver police to investigate; Vancouver
police then brought in the Office of the Police Complaint
Commissioner.

On May 6, 2013, Const. Nicholson was charged with 10 criminal
offences, including breach of trust, obstruction of justice and
conspiracy to traffic a controlled substance.

Nicholson, 41, was suspended and his badge seized.

Const. Rich said he believed that Const. Nicholson had lied to judges
about the information that he was obtaining from confidential informants.

Vancouver Police Chief Jim Chu said last May that the investigation at
it peak involved dozens of officers, including senior members with
homicide and gang experience. He added that false information
allegedly provided by Const. Nicholson to judges was used to get
warrants for searches of private dwellings.

Const. Nicholson also allegedly conspired with a confidential
informant to have drugs delivered to a residence and have other police
officers conduct a search warrant soon after.

Abbotsford Police Const. Ian MacDonald said the department has been
working cooperatively with the OPCC investigation.

"In fact, a pretty strong argument can be made that we were the ones
that started this. The whole Chris Nicholson thing was brought to
light by the APD. We were the agency =C2=85 that asked for the external
investigation to begin, initially looking at the criminal
ramifications of what we suspected in relation to Nicholson. We have
clearly been willing participants all along the way," he said.

Const. MacDonald said the status of the officers under investigation
varies at present. He didn't have specifics.

The Abbotsford force has 220 officers.
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