An investigation into breach of trust allegations against a constable of the Abbotsford Police Department has grown to involve a total of 18 officers.
On Wednesday, the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner announced it is now probing 148 allegations of misconduct against 17 members of the Abbotsford force, and one from the Vancouver Police Department.
The massive Police Act probe involves accusations of deceit, neglect of duty and corrupt practice.
Commissioner Stan Lowe described the allegations as “serious” and deal with statements that police officers gave to judicial officers around permission for search warrants.
The initial investigation was sparked when Abbotsford Police Chief Bob Rich learned that one of his constables, Christopher Nicholson, had allegedly leaked information to a drug dealer so he could avoid being arrested.
Rich said Nicholson lied to judges about the information he was obtaining from informants.
The chief reached out to the Vancouver Police Department to conduct an external criminal investigation, and that’s when the VPD raised concerns to the OPCC.
Nicholson, 41, was arrested on May 6, 2013, after an eight-month undercover investigation by Vancouver officers. The operation led to charges of breach of trust, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy to traffic drugs.
Jim Chu, then the VPD chief, said dozens of officers were part of the operation.
He said Nicholson conspired with an informant to have drugs delivered to a home and have other officers conduct a search soon after.
Later that summer, the New Westminster police force was tasked with looking into Nicholson’s alleged misconduct. That investigation team was comprised of members from New Westminster, the Mounties and other municipal agencies.
It was during that review that investigators discovered further allegations against the charged officer, as well as 16 other members of the Abbotsford department, says the OPCC. A VPD member is also included because he has a connection to Nicholson.
The OPCC is keeping mum about specific allegations, but says many relate to concerns over the integrity of sworn statements given to police, which could impact the justice system.
“The concerns raised have an impact on the interplay between key institutional stakeholders within the criminal justice system which include the federal prosecution service, judicial officers and the police,” a statement from the agency said.
There are also concerns about how the OPCC has been able to effectively investigate the breaches.
“At this juncture, the OPCC has only received a fraction of the very large number of documents that it requires to review in order to provide meaningful oversight of this investigation,” it said.
After Nicholson was charged in 2013, Chief Bob Rich told reporters at a joint VPD press conference that his fellow members were “horrified” about the charges.
"Our officers are angry, upset,” he said. “The idea that one of our members would do this is shocking to them. This is not how we conduct business."
A trial date for Nicholson has been set for May 9, 2016 in BC Supreme Court.
With files from The Canadian Press
