Klubmasta Will
TRIBE Member
from the latest TPAC bulletin ...
According to reports in the press, on September 22, 2002, Alan Heisey, a member of the Toronto Police Service Board, attended a conference with members of the Toronto Police force and others on questions of sexual assault. At one point he was chatting with Detective Sergeant Paul Gillespie of the Sexual Crimes Unit, and he allegedly mentioned that his son attended a school where a teacher had recently been charged with possession of child pornography. Gillespie apparently declined any comments on Heisey's remarks since his office was in charge of the case.
However, within 24 hours Gillespie had penned a memo which claimed that Heisey had said he could understand "how one could be attracted to the beautiful body of an eight year old, but not to children in diapers." Gillespie emailed his memo to the Chief Julian Fantino who, without confirming with Gillespie what had actually been said and without talking to Heisey, sent the memo on to his colleague and supporter, Norm Gardner, then Chair of the Toronto Police Service Board. Gardner says he discussed the memo with two other board members, but both have said they do not believe he raised it with them or made them aware of the matter.
In early December, 2003, Heisey was appointed chair of the Police Services Board, signifying a new and progressive group of people with a majority on the Board. Also immediately Heisey said - as he had often said in the past - that the provincial government should establish an independent body to deal with complaints against the police.
On January 15, 2004 - 15 months after it had been written - Gillespie's memo mysteriously became public. That happened to be the day that Norm Gardner appeared at a hearing before the Ontario Civilian Commission on Police Services (OCCOPS) into allegations he received a handgun from a Toronto manufacturer, and free ammunition from the Toronto Police service.
Questioned about the matter, Heisey said that the comments attributed to him "have been taken completely out of context, if indeed I made them." Fantino said he was "disappointed that the memo had been made public." Gillespie refused comment and showed considerable hostility to reporters who called him.
There were several requests for Heisey to stand down as Chair while the matter was further investigated, but the Board agreed that he should stay on as chair during the investigation, expected to take a couple of weeks.
This string of events leads to a number of questions, none of which give one much confidence in policing structures:
As several journalists have pointed out, there is often a great deal of dispute between witnesses about what people actually say in the course of a conversation. Often listeners hear what they want to hear, and not what the other is saying. The more distance in time from the actual conversation, the more likely it is that one misses the words that were used and the implications that were made.
One fears that this kind of attack on Heisey is the precursor to similar kinds of attacks on the other progressive voices on the Toronto Police Services Board as they attempt to exert reasonable governance and direction.
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FTW(don't)K, a lot of lefty, anti-cop types thought Alan Heisy - as the new chair of the police services board (and, thus, chief fantino's boss) - would clean up the toronto police.
thoughts????????????
According to reports in the press, on September 22, 2002, Alan Heisey, a member of the Toronto Police Service Board, attended a conference with members of the Toronto Police force and others on questions of sexual assault. At one point he was chatting with Detective Sergeant Paul Gillespie of the Sexual Crimes Unit, and he allegedly mentioned that his son attended a school where a teacher had recently been charged with possession of child pornography. Gillespie apparently declined any comments on Heisey's remarks since his office was in charge of the case.
However, within 24 hours Gillespie had penned a memo which claimed that Heisey had said he could understand "how one could be attracted to the beautiful body of an eight year old, but not to children in diapers." Gillespie emailed his memo to the Chief Julian Fantino who, without confirming with Gillespie what had actually been said and without talking to Heisey, sent the memo on to his colleague and supporter, Norm Gardner, then Chair of the Toronto Police Service Board. Gardner says he discussed the memo with two other board members, but both have said they do not believe he raised it with them or made them aware of the matter.
In early December, 2003, Heisey was appointed chair of the Police Services Board, signifying a new and progressive group of people with a majority on the Board. Also immediately Heisey said - as he had often said in the past - that the provincial government should establish an independent body to deal with complaints against the police.
On January 15, 2004 - 15 months after it had been written - Gillespie's memo mysteriously became public. That happened to be the day that Norm Gardner appeared at a hearing before the Ontario Civilian Commission on Police Services (OCCOPS) into allegations he received a handgun from a Toronto manufacturer, and free ammunition from the Toronto Police service.
Questioned about the matter, Heisey said that the comments attributed to him "have been taken completely out of context, if indeed I made them." Fantino said he was "disappointed that the memo had been made public." Gillespie refused comment and showed considerable hostility to reporters who called him.
There were several requests for Heisey to stand down as Chair while the matter was further investigated, but the Board agreed that he should stay on as chair during the investigation, expected to take a couple of weeks.
This string of events leads to a number of questions, none of which give one much confidence in policing structures:
- If Detective Sgt. Gillespie thought Heisey had said something improper on September 22, 2002, why didn't he do more than send an email up the system?
- If Chief Fantino thought the matter was of some substance in September 2002, why did he not talk to Heisey? If he thought it not important, why did he send it to Norm Gardner?
- If Gardner thought the matter was important in September 2002, why did he not talk to Heisey?
- Is this an instance of the police culture attacking and trying to discredit any progressive voice that might challenge the way policing is done in Toronto?
As several journalists have pointed out, there is often a great deal of dispute between witnesses about what people actually say in the course of a conversation. Often listeners hear what they want to hear, and not what the other is saying. The more distance in time from the actual conversation, the more likely it is that one misses the words that were used and the implications that were made.
One fears that this kind of attack on Heisey is the precursor to similar kinds of attacks on the other progressive voices on the Toronto Police Services Board as they attempt to exert reasonable governance and direction.
--------------------------------
FTW(don't)K, a lot of lefty, anti-cop types thought Alan Heisy - as the new chair of the police services board (and, thus, chief fantino's boss) - would clean up the toronto police.
thoughts????????????
