Saanich Mayor Richard Atwell provided details about the four times he was stopped by traffic police, prompting his claim that he was being unfairly untargeted by the Integrated Road Safety Unit.
The head of the unit said Tuesday that he has not received a call from Atwell about his concerns.
In an interview Tuesday afternoon, Atwell said the four stops happened when he was running for mayor, as mayor elect and after he was sworn in on Dec. 1.
Atwell said in the first incident he was pulled over for making a right turn out of a driveway over a yellow line and was asked if he had been drinking. He blew into a roadside screening device and had a zero blood alcohol level.
In the second stop, he was pulled over for taking too long to turn right and again passed a roadside screening test to prove he hadn’t been drinking. In the third instance, he was stopped for having an expired tag on his car. He had the updated tag in his glove compartment but said he was “interrogated” about where he was going, whether he was on his cellphone and “a number of other irrelevant items.”
In the fourth traffic stop, Atwell was pulled over for going too quickly through a parking lot and signalling when it wasn’t necessary. He said the officer was “disrespectful to me” and said “in a cocky voice: ‘Well, if it isn’t Mayor Atwell.’ ”
RCMP Staff Sgt. James Anderson, the officer in charge of the Integrated Road Safety Unit, said that he is aware of Atwell’s remarks but has not received a formal complaint or request regarding the traffic stops.
Anderson said he has “pro-actively reached out to Mr. Atwell, in an attempt to discuss his concerns. Those conversations will occur privately with Mr. Atwell, and will not be shared publicly.”
Anderson said vehicle stops fall under the Motor Vehicle Act, and are not criminal matters which is why his unit will not release any details publicly “out of respect for the privacy of those involved, regardless of who that may be.”
B.C.’s Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner confirmed Tuesday that they have received a complaint from Atwell regarding the release of information about a domestic dispute on the evening of Dec. 11. The complaint claims Saanich police released information to the media regarding the incident, in which Atwell called 911, alleging he had been assaulted by the fiancé of a female election-campaign worker.
Atwell, who is married, repeatedly told reporters last week that he was not having an affair with the woman, with whom he had discussions about a high-level job at Saanich municipal hall. Then, at a Monday news conference, Atwell said: “I was not totally truthful when I denied allegations that I was having an extramarital affair. I simply wanted to protect the people who are close to me, and I still do.”
Ross Poulton, acting deputy police complaint commissioner, said that any complaint received from Atwell “will be handled like any other private citizen.”
His position as mayor “is not going to affect how we process the complaint,” Poulton said.
The commissioner’s office still has to address the merits of the complaint — specifically whether the alleged actions meet the definition of misconduct under the Police Act — and decide whether the office will launch an investigation. The commissioner can appoint a third-party police department to look into the complaint to ensure the investigation is free from bias.
