CORNWALL Ontario – It’s not easy at the top. Cornwall Community Police Chief granted an interview to the lowly Todd Lihou at the Seaway News.
Todd gets lots of police news; perhaps because one of his confreres son works for the CCPS; perhaps because Todd himself tried to be an officer himself.
It might be because he digs wearing sandals a lot and as anyone at the CCPS can
tell you there is a strict apparel policy.
This week’s gem involves a CCPS Sgt who was busted & convicted for getting jiggy with his hours; IE stealing from the tax payers. He’s been demoted and will lose about $22K in pay along with making restitution according to Mr. Lihou’s sources.
Of course the bigger question was why this officer of the law wasn’t simply fired.
The Chief apparently chose to not release the incident to the media directly as the Toronto Service just did about one if it’s men in blue in a release this morning.
A Toronto Police Service officer has been arrested and charged.
Constable Brandon Polak, 35, with 13 years’ service, is attached to the Drug Squad. He was off-duty at the time of the alleged offence.
It is alleged that:
– on Tuesday March 17, 2015, at 8 p.m., police were called to a collision at Adelaide Street East, near Jarvis Street
– no injuries were reported
– the driver of one of the vehicles drove away
Brandon Polak was arrested and has been charged with:
1) Failure to stop at scene of accident
He is scheduled to appear in court at College Park on Wednesday, April 29, 2015, 10 a.m., room 501.
This is part of what Mr. Lihou published in the Seaway News:
A Cornwall police officer has been convicted under the Ontario Police Services Act for “neglect of duty” and “deceit” a source tells Seaway News.
The officer is being demoted for issues related to “manipulating” the timekeeping system used by police to catalogue their hours of work.
A tribunal was held on the matter where the officer plead guilty, said the source. The demotion means the officer will lose about $22,000 in salary over the next two years.
“The situation was handled under the auspices of an internal discipline matter (chief’s complaint) under the Police Services Act,” Cornwall police chief Dan Parkinson told Seaway News. “Any manipulation of the timekeeping system, regardless of the amount, is viewed as ‘serious.’ The internal discipline matter has been concluded, including restitution.”
I sent the Chief a simple note with the following questions:
Why wasn’t this released publicly?
Why wasn’t this officer terminated as theft of time is clearly a termination with cause issue, especially as they were a senior officer?
Was the “tribunal” local? IE the police board?
Was the decision “negotiated”?
Were any outside police or agencies involved in the process or decision?
Why wasn’t a release issue? Why did Mr. Lihou get special info and access to the Chief?
Field Inspector Shawna Spowart responded for the Chief with the following:
Please be advised that I have spoken to the Chief concerning your questions and I will confirm the following:
The Chief was contacted by a journalist who had details of a story he intended to run with, which had been received from a source. The Chief provided him with a comment regarding this story which I will also provide to you. The Chief intends on updating his Board about this matter at the April meeting however at this time there will be no other comment made to media on this issue. Please see below for the Chief’s comments.
The situation was handled under the auspices of an internal discipline matter (Chief’s Complaint) under the Police Services Act. This situation would be most accurately be described as a “manipulation of the computerized timekeeping system”. Any manipulation of the timekeeping system, regardless of the amount, is viewed as “serious”. The internal discipline matter has been concluded, including restitution.
So who could this source be? It’s not the first time Mr. Lihou has quoted a source that would have to have intimate knowledge of a police issue? Surely info like this should not be leaked from the CCPS? Is Mr. Lihou clairvoyant? Are CCPS that gossipy?
Why hasn’t the CCPS cracked down on Mr. Lihou’s sources? Is it someone from the CCPS that has a thing for sandalled failed cops?
With Arts funding being devastated by Police Board President Andre Rivette in Cornwall while fire and police costs are rampantly going up how much is this mess costing tax payers and would we even know about this Sergeant if it wasn’t for this leak?
Councilor Rivette was on the police board last term while several other leaks occurred, and he himself has been known to be a bit…. leaky.
(yes we know the name of the officer, but won’t release it)
Without transparency and accountability how many other cases get brushed under the carpet? And would this type of thing happen under OPP management?
Personally this writer feels saddened that our very expensive Chief would duck the issue in this manner.
The people of Cornwall are owed some answers. What do you think dear CFN viewers? You can post your comments below.
So he is a common criminal and not fit to wear the uniform unless you agree with his behaviour which obviously would be a reflection of your character. He should have been either shown the door or offered a job on the civilian side (not in public relations).
The name is in the public domain if he was found guilty in a provincial court unless a ban was ordered.
Its sorta obvious the officer was either on duty at the time of the accident, and did not want to be on record he was in that area then..or something like that, and needed to adjust his time records accordingly. The chief has been told to hush this over, give the officer the least offense and get over it. Officers are bound to not allow their finances go askew, and must be kept in order. Fraud and theft of the timekeeping surely contravenes this. Lets see what the courts say, and then allow it be set as precedence for regular citizens. Maybe leaving the scene of an accident will be Ok now..? Lets see.
One bunch goes out and another bunch come in. It’s all smoke and mirrors all the time! Nothing changes!
Why wasn’t the officer fired? I didn’t know that these offences called for officers to be fired. The discipline was probably along the lines of what the Police Service Act call for. A repeat offence would probably call for dismissal.
Why wasn’t the info released to the other media and public? If that’s a requirement of the Police Services Act I can see the info being released. But in a lot of cases, police and other departments, discipline is an internal matter. If Todd has an inside source good for him. I’m sure you have sources in various locations that you use to gain info and write stories and don’t release to other media outlets.
How are arts funding and this story related other than Andre Rivette being the Police Board President?
Speaking of transparency shouldn’t you be mentioning that you are on the TAG board of directors when you write about the arts and / or TAG?
IMHO the police chief did not duck the issue. If he isn’t required to report the discipline of an officer to the media /public how can that be ducking an issue? Your questions to the chief were answered, maybe not to your satisfaction, but they were answered.
my feelings only of course, He was caught, his punishment was decided, dished out, it never should have leaked, to me that is dirty dealings and whoever did leak it should also be punished. I always have and always will respect our boys in blue. Its over and was dealt with internally.
THAT A BOY GILCIG!WAY TO CALL THEM OUT!
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Shelley you make a great point. This leakage from the CCPS is really alarming and should be addressed.
Call the plumbers. Oh, wait…..they’re still working on the Watergate.
Shelly, you say you alway have and always will have respect for our boys in blue. It’s that attitude that let’s cops get away with things when they should be punished. Have you heard of the very recent story in Calgary where a man was tasered and shot to death while unarmed in a motel room? Someone asked police to do a wellness check on him, and he end up being killed. If you just argue with or run away from a cop it’s likely you will be shot and killed. So don’t put them on some pedestal that is much higher than the rest of us. They get away with enough as it is. And as you can see, stealing is not even enough to get them fired. I remember in grade school, a cop used to come in and talk to us. I remember him saying that if you steal a soda or even a candy bar you can never become a police officer. What a double standard for these guys. If you were caught stealing, they would bounce you head off the cement, handcuff you then take you to the station for a strip search. Alway have and always will respect them no matter what they do, my rear end.
Shelley, if one of our “boys in blue” is guilty of criminal activity, why should it be covered up? Are they special people who should get special treatment?
Jerry happens to be right 100% and yes I heard about that death in Alberta caused by a cop. The cops do not protect us at all anymore but protect the 1% and that is the entire truth. You should read what I read on alternative US news and yes it is all coming here to Canada. You all may laugh at what I say but there is a global economic depression coming and cops everywhere are getting militarized to guard the 1% of the hell that they have caused and there is no way of getting out of the mess and they want a WWIII. This morning while in the car we heard about nurses being laid off at CHEO 40-70 of them and Alex Munter who was on council here in Ottawa only has a 3 year general BA not qualified to be an administrator of a hospital and gets the job and at $400K or more a year. I must have heard people fainting in Cornwall reading this and yes all true. The CEO’s are the ones who get the good deals and he was pulled in by someone of high standing. I do not trust cops at all and never have but nowadays cops are nothing but murderers and thugs. Things are getting really bad folks and you may be laughing but I am not laughing I am spitting nails for what I know. You will start hearing more at the end of the summer and into the fall and into 2016. People are being let go from the federal government as well as the oil/tar sands, etc. This is just the beginning.
A childhood friend of mine who became a police officer was caught cheating the taxpayer. He was taken of the street and away from his regular duties. I do not recall the length of the disciplinary action but his name was published in the Ottawa Citizen. I remember very well the shock of seeing his name associated with the crime that he was found guilty of.
Jules, you sound like you are an awake individual. I know how frustrating it is to see all these people who have no idea what is actually going on, the way it truly is. Just look at the case where Jamie was removed from city hall at the push of a button. That is an example of the police serving the 1%. Everyday police are shooting unarmed, non threatening people. It’s about to get very bad, very soon with the police being militarized. Google “no hesitation targets”. Police are using targets of children and pregnant women to desensitise them to shooting civilians. Check out some alternative news like prison planet, info wars, liveleak or on youtube Dahboo77, the young turks, alex jones ect. Mainstream media is one sided, so do yourself a favor and check out the stuff you’re not being told or shown.
Hi Shelley,
I too, have the utmost respect & admiration for our boys & girls in blue, however, this copper crossed the proverbial line. As a former Peace Officer myself, it’s always been an uphill battle for law enforcement to have the public support. IMO, this is just cause, for an immediate dismissal ! This so called decision (Chiefs) is ridiculous at best & will cause many of our citizens to lose trust in our Police Force.
This whole dog & pony, Mutt & Jeff styled story, causes me to think that everybody’s friend “Jules” just might of been right all along, when she’d refer to our Force as that “Barney Fiffe Dept” ? LOL-ROLF-LOL
Seriously now, what about the issue of transparency Chief ? The Public’s right to know ? Why are you not addressing these issues publicly ? By the way, are you in the country ? Why wasn’t this issue , sent to the Freeholder or the Freenews ? I personally, could care less, that you don’t like Mr. Gilcig, you are nothing more than a civil servant (highly paid one) & your personal,
petty dislikes should not interfere with your day to day operation of the Force.
Once again, our new Mayor has disappeared, Leslie, any comments, hello, hello ?
Those who are charged with enforcing our laws (police) and making our laws (politicians) should be held to a very high standard when it comes to breaking those laws. Sadly, it doesn’t always work that way.
Here we go again with the crystal ball gazing.
And I’d like to remind everyone not to paint all police officers with the same brush. Just because one makes some mistakes that doesn’t mean all officers will do the same.
Just because Alex Munter has a 3 year general BA does not disqualify him from being a hospital administrator. Alex has a vast array of knowledge from all the positions he has held. And do you really think any hospital would put an unqualified person in charge of their whole operation?
There are obviously unqualified people involved in the whole health care process Hugger1, that is why we are where we are.
ouch! Two points to Mr. Oldham.
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Admin….not really. Does one need a degree to be able to do certain jobs? Doesn’t life experience or previous experience count for anything any more?
Knowledge is not wisdom. A degree or diploma Hugger1 can be a formality but it is not the definitive word on ability on that we agree. Ability is the result of coupling knowledge with experience and that will always count for something. Wisdom is not something that I would accuse many current politicians of having. Perhaps the forest is obscured by the trees for many.
Jerry I sure am awake and I want to say that it is coming a time that we won’t have freedom of speech and the US, France and possibly some other countries are clamping down on free speech and I would like to see other people start to awaken and nothing that they think they know is the reality. Things are getting a great deal worse and take the opportunity now to find things out while we can. It is much worse than the high school book of 1984 – it is well beyond that point. Everything that is happening now is in the Bible including that 3rd secret that was not revealed to us back in 1917 about the Pope not consecrating Russia and what is going to happen. I listened to things yesterday and mighty bad. Billions of people are going to die for what is coming if something is not stopped.
Jules, Jules, Jules……crystal ball gazing again???
Hugger I wish that I did have a crystal ball and believe me I would sure utilize it. I read plenty and good sources well beyond Jerry’s and listened again earlier. Jerry knows what is coming down the line and believe me things are not good at all and you will all hear about it soon. The mainstream/lamestream media is lying to everyone and they are going downhill from the major US papers to CNN, New York Times, etc. People are not buying newspapers here in Ottawa and they know that it is full of baloney.
But knowing all these things that, apparently, are going to happen has it made you change how you do things or approach life? I find there isn’t much you can do about the future, so there’s no use worrying about it.
Are you serious Hugger? Should people qualify for engineering or medical jobs without the university degrees that are normally required?
Furtz….did I say that? No. What I was saying was that life and previous job experience should count for something. Not all jobs require you be university educated up the Ying yang.
All this talk about boys in blue. ..um, they’re adults
Why not state things clearly: A police officer whose name will be kept from the public eye, has admitted to lying and stealing taxpayer’s money. (The End)
I remember decades ago, two 12-year-olds went to the mall. One of them, a minor hockey hero, stole something from a store, while the other stole nothing.
When the local police officer came to my parent’s home about my brother (the one who had stolen nothing) it was suggested by the cop that my brother take the rap b/c the boy who committed the theft might find his promising hockey career in ruins.
That’s how things work
Hugger, i agree that life experience is very valuable, and is undervalued in the job market. When i’m at a store and need help with something, i always look for older staff. The young ones never seem to know very much about where they work, or anything in general really.
Jimmy Olsen you say um they’re adults. That would imply that they act accordingly. Unless things have changed only the identity of a young offender is protected under law except where a publication ban is sought to protect the identity of a victim or witness. When an individual steals from the taxpayer there should be no restriction on their identity as they have violated the public trust. If the police are not held accountable then is it not the fox that is watching over the hen house?
Jerry to be fair to the youth so much of the staff are part-time that the employer does not invest in. I generally shop outside Cornwall for the simple reason that staff are not even trained to say thank you for your business. I worked hard for my money I want a merchant to appreciate my business otherwise I will find one who does. Where is the example for the youth to look up to and follow? Sadly it is greatly missing. A change in our society which has not been for the better.
Is this not called THEFT or FRAUD in the Criminal Code of Canada? How can I trust this officer if he lied.
It is theft & fraud of taxpayer money.When people are paid from the public pot & steal money,this is not internal, it,s public & should be handled as such, it,s no wonder that trust is an issue with Cornwall police.You have a police chief keeping abuse of hours paid quiet,same chief not getting charges dropped against Mr Gilcig even after having been proved innocent, same police chief that went out of his way to get a convicted criminal out of jail just because the father is a respected by all Dr. No darn wonder police are losing their once coveted respect.It only takes a few rotten apples to spoil the barrel
Jerry / David Oldham…agreed. It has a lot to do with “experience.” Younger staff just doesn’t have the “experience” to know how to deal with customers and / or situations. My wife used to work for a grocery store and the owner preferred older staff as they understood that having a job is a commitment, not something you do when you’re bored. At the store on Saturday / Sunday morning he knew at least one of his younger staff would call in “sick” or as you and I would call it “hung-over.”
They just don’t make kids like they used to, and they never have.
Mr. Oldham yes dealing with the young people is not at all like dealing with the older people and my daughter is working only part time as well. Even the older people are working only part time (among a lot of them are only part time) and my husband was talking to his sister in law in Australia and she used to be full time and she is my age and was put on part time. I too prefer dealing with older people – this younger generation is completely lost. My husband said for the first time in a long time that we will be seeing wars all over the world and this is the first time that I ever heard him say that.
We are the ones that have created the world that our children will inherit. We should rather than being ashamed being doing something to change it but we have instead become an apathetic bunch of whiners arguing over perceived entitlements.
You reap what you sow.
When I was growing up in the fifties, children were always respectful toward adults and the authorities. And as a teenager and young adult in the sixties, I don’t recall anyone committing crimes or engaging in illegal activity of any sort. So what went wrong? Why is crime spiraling out of control these days? I think it might be due to the fact that parents are no longer allowed to lay a proper beating on their kids.
Right, Jules?
Furtz I just came on and happy to have fallen on what you said which is 100% true. Never ever have I seen a society like what we have today. I too grew up in the 50’s and long for those days to come back and unfortunately they won’t. It is the government that laid the foundation of no slapping even just a hit on the behind is illegal and that is outrageous. Two parents have to work today to keep things afloat and no mom at home is what makes kids out of control – known as latchkey kids. There is no discipline in the homes nor at school. Furtz remember when we had the strap system at school and we took the strap from the principal or teacher and even the ruler and we didn’t fight back or anything like they do today. Yes we respected our elders and we are good people today compared to the younger generation. I am happy that you brought that up. Thanks.
Mr. Oldham we have created an awful big mess for our children and left them in heaps of debt that cannot be paid back and we left them in a morally bankrupt world. Yes we sure do reap what we sow.
Careful Furtz the Thought Police will come for you. They don’t have to think they just have to take direction from you betcha Mr. Scary himself….arrrrrrggg they got me.
Yes Jules. Those were the good ol’ days. I know for sure that that I would be in prison today if it wasn’t for the beatings I got every Friday night as a child. Kids today don’t know how lucky they are.
David, it’s way too late to worry about that. They’ve been onto me for years.
Speaking about thought police I took something from the book 1984 by George Orwell
“The people will believe what the media tells them they believe.”
Jules, that’s why General Motors is still in business. The intelligence of the masses can not be underestimated.
How very true Furtz.
Furtz I can’t remember the phrase about when someone tells a lie and then the lie just keeps on getting bigger and bigger and the people believe it. There is something in the book of 1984 that says it all.