Misconduct investigation launched over Delta police's handling of case involving chief's wife
The Vancouver Police Department will investigate allegations of misconduct by Delta police over its handling of a case involving the Delta chief's wife.
Delta Police Chief Neil Dubord commented on the incident for the first time on Monday in response to allegations his wife Lorraine allegedly sprayed Richmond's Kiran Sidhu with a hose on June 6.
The incident was initially reported to Delta police but was handed over to Surrey RCMP by Delta's deputy police chief.
The Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner, B.C.'s watchdog agency for municipal police forces in B.C., said in a statement it heard about the situation from media reports but subsequently received a misconduct complaint "from an affected person."
The commissioner's office deemed the complaint admissible and assigned Vancouver police to carry out an external investigation.
"The decision to admit a complaint from a member of the public is not a finding that any officer committed misconduct," the commissioner's office said in a statement.
"That can only be determined through a full and comprehensive disciplinary conduct investigation."
A separate complaint has also been forwarded to Delta police, the commissioner's office said, over the "adequacy of the department's policies and procedures in handling matters where there is a real or perceived conflict of interest."
The commissioner's office said the Vancouver police probe is not a criminal investigation and will only look into whether there was misconduct by Delta police.
June 6 incident
Sidhu previously told CBC News that the incident took place while she was visiting Centennial Beach during high tide.
Due to the tide, she said, she was forced to climb over large rocks that line several properties. Eventually, she held onto a glass fence belonging to the Dubords for balance. Sidhu says that's when Lorraine Dubord came out and told her to leave her property.
Lorraine Dubord allegedly hurled insults at Sidhu and, after the two women began to argue, Sidhu claimed that Dubord sprayed her directly in the face with a hose.
On Monday, Chief Neil Dubord said in a statement the alleged incident does not reflect "the values and commitment to the community of the officers of the Delta Police Department, nor my own values."
He said he has not been involved in the investigation in any way.
Lorraine Dubord issued an apology, which was reported by the Delta Optimist newspaper.
Sidhu said the incident unearthed feelings of discrimination within Tsawwassen and Delta.
"I feel like an outsider here, because there's a lot of white folks and not a lot of people of colour," she said. "Even coming to the beach, I don't feel welcome when people who live here terrorize us in these ways."
The Delta Police Department has promised an internal policy review.
