A complaint of discreditable conduct against the head of the Saanich police department’s professional standards division has been informally resolved after an investigation by the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner.
The office ordered the investigation in June because of a complaint by a female civilian police employee against Insp. Steve Morgan, the Times Colonist has learned.
Morgan is in charge of the professional standards division, which oversees formal complaints against Saanich police officers. The division’s mandate is to promote and maintain the highest standard of professionalism for the Saanich police.
The informal resolution process generally determined the incident involved a momentary lapse of judgment.
“We followed the provisions of the Police Act to the letter and all the parties were satisfied,” said police commissioner spokesman Rollie Woods. He said the matter was informally resolved to the satisfaction of the complainant.
Saanich police concurred.
“The Saanich police department has full confidence that the informal resolution reached through the OPCC was appropriate to the circumstance,” said acting Sgt. Jereme Leslie.
The complaint was made after an incident during a work-related event at a local restaurant. Colleagues, family and friends were celebrating recent promotions, including Morgan’s.
Both the complainant and inspector were off duty. After the event, “an employee expressed concerns over the conduct of an off-duty officer,” Leslie said.
It was alleged that the officer had tugged at the employee’s skirt twice.
Woods, of the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner, said the incident was relayed to the office on June 9, after it was brought to the attention of Police Chief Bob Downie.
The office spoke with the civilian staff member on June 13. The next day, she filed a complaint, which was reviewed and deemed admissible and suitable for an informal resolution process under the Police Act and the guidelines of the office, Woods said.
On June 15, an investigation was ordered, and Saanich police requested an external investigator. A Vancouver police inspector and sergeant interviewed the people involved and witnesses.
A concluding report was done as part of an informal resolution process but is confidential. The people involved in the incident have signed a letter agreeing that the resolution was appropriate and satisfactory.
