Saanich police have not asked for a third party review of their investigation into an altercation involving Mayor Richard Atwell, saying the file has been closed and no charges have been laid.
At a news conference on Tuesday, Saanich police spokesman Sgt. Steve Eassie refused to confirm or deny if Atwell, chairman of the police board, was involved in a domestic dispute on Dec. 11. Sources told the Times Colonist that Atwell, who was sworn in as mayor 10 days earlier, was at the home of a campaign supporter about 11 p.m. when her fiancé arrived, leading to an altercation that resulted in the police being called.
“There was a number of investigations that took place that evening,” Eassie said. “The investigation in question is concluded and there has been no recommendation of any criminal charges whatsoever.”
Police Chief Bob Downie and Deputy Chief Scott Green reviewed the file and decided against bringing in an outside agency to remove the appearance of a conflict of interest.
“If a public official were to be involved in a criminal incident, there are safeguards in place. We have an opportunity to [request] a third party review of our investigation to ensure there’s been no impropriety or influence as a result of that person’s position,” Eassie said. Since no one was arrested in the incident and no charges have been laid, Eassie said the department is unable to release specific details.
“If there was a criminal charge against the mayor, that is information we would be able to share. Other than that, the mayor is a private citizen,” Eassie said. “When [public officials] contact [police], they do so as a private citizen, not as the mayor or chair of the police board.”
Atwell did not return calls nor answer emails seeking comment on Tuesday. He was at the mayor’s office on Monday for a brief time and was in a council meeting, followed by an in-camera session, until about 10 p.m. Atwell did not go to the office on Tuesday. He does not keep regular office hours and staff did not know if or when he would be in. Atwell, who is married, promised during the election campaign that he would be a full-time mayor.
He did not attend a working group meeting of the Saanich Police Board on Tuesday afternoon.
Michael Prince, Lansdowne professor of social policy at the University of Victoria, said Atwell has a responsibility to be available to the public.
“Even though Saanich is, by B.C. standards, a large municipality, it’s still a community and people expect to have access to their elected officials, particularly those who run on a mandate of time for a change. You would think there would be an open door … and that there would be an openness and availability to residents and to staff,” Prince said.
Prince said people would expect Atwell to explain what happened.
“A lot about politics and public administration is perception and being seen as being above question. I think this raises questions. At the very least, it is a very awkward situation right now, not only between him and his councillors but now between him and the police board,” Prince said.
Saanich Police Board member Chris Pease said he was unaware of the incident until he read about it in the paper, but he didn’t expect it to affect Atwell’s ability to chair the board. “I don’t even know if charges are pending. If they are not, it’s just another case of the police visiting a residence to assist residents,” he said.
Saanich councillors contacted by the Times Colonist Tuesday said they had no idea the mayor had been involved in a police incident and, like any Saanich resident, would like to know more details about what happened.
“I think we need to hear from the chief constable because I personally do not know what this means if the chair of the police board is being investigated for being involved in some sort of assault,” said Coun. Judy Brownoff.
“I think there’s certainly interest in some sort of an explanation,” said Coun. Dean Murdock. “As a Saanich resident and a member of the public, I would be interested in an explanation of what went on but I’ll leave that to the mayor and the police to decide what is appropriate to share.”
