Where do we go from here?

I decided to do a short interview with Detective Behiels regarding the outstanding questions from the previous blog post that sorts through all of the information that we currently have regarding high level corruption within the EPS.

While Behiels was kind enough to respond to (most of) my tweets... I felt like Will Smith in iRobot.

Forgive the brevity, my artistic juices were used up on something I hope to be able to share very shortly. When a source changes their mind, you have to respect their decision. I know... I have a fucking conscience that I tend to keep hidden behind the dumpster where I said you were the best I’d had and that I’d call you. Totally going to call you though. xoxo

This was to be the follow up piece to my intended blog so here goes my attempt at filling you in while acknowledging the giant hole in this instalment.

A question I’ve received a lot is why I keep saying “white shirts“. It’s a regular term used in policing and fire that signifies the top tier. My twitter handle (@tarnishedbrass) has also received confusion... "brass" is a military term so it never occurred to me to define it. For the simplest explanation it's another classist system where the people who rule are easily identifiable. These individuals make choices that those below them pay for.

Here’s the cliffs notes of what Behiels said:

• he didn't lie in his memo

• Calgary investigators questioned him

• He did give them proof of what he was saying

• Neufeld having been a colleague of McIsaac for 24 years is not a conflict of interest. I had to search for the policy myself:

What is clearly unable to be said but was most definitely said:

• The Edmonton Police Service lied when they said that CPS "found no criminality or evidence of corruption by the EPS and its members,”. (I guess Behiels did give them the evidence so technically they didn't "find" anything)

• The Calgary investigators limited the scope of their investigation

• another reporter has all of the information that Behiels found

• McIsaac retiring saved his ass from Police Act charges. Given the history of corruption allegations in the EPS, the criminal investigation would have closed right along with it... protecting all participants.

The part of me that jumped onto the Behiels' allegations, like a fat kid on a smartie, recognized the problem immediately. It’s the same old shit. When you have made it above a certain level you are no longer required to obey the laws used to govern those beneath you.

We’re in the middle of how many elections so I know I’m not alone in this current feeling: if you are in a position of power you are required to do what is right. "Right for whom" should never be a question because the answer is ALWAYS the people you have been given power over.

We can argue semantics all day, it's irrelevant. Pick the moral failing(s) that any of those individuals exhibit: incompetence, cowardice, corruption; it makes no difference. If an individual in power is controlled by any of the above they do not have the capabilities needed to hold the position that they do. The damage done by their colleagues, superiors, or subordinates rests with them whether they've participated or not.

This keeps happening because no one wants a big messy scandal. Better to just offer a payout and have it all handled quietly. The only incentive given in these organizations is to take the position, shut your mouth, do as your told and reap the benefits from all sides of the table. The probability of you getting caught is slim next to none and even if you do you won't be seeing anything other than a big tax payer funded 'sayonara'.

Why is Calgary included in this project of cleaning out high level corruption within the Edmonton Police? Because... fuck you Neufeld and your anti-corruption department that saw the death and abuse of our vulnerable people as an opportunity for a Viagra induced reunion. I'm sure the women you invited to the party were of every color, so any pictures that leaked out would show your commitment to diversity and inclusion, you piece of shit.

How can we change?

Clean the whole house and send a strong message to every other agency in Canada. Corruption will not be tolerated, you will lose your decorated career and every lucrative board position or business opportunity you've arranged for yourself. The strong arm of justice needs to come in with an iron fucking fist.

I had this whole plan to list out every white shirt in the service and a game board where you could place them individually into categories: corrupt, fixer, fucking moron... I'm sure it would have been funnier in the end, but it doesn't really matter unless more of you are willing to join in the demand for a public inquiry into these allegations. Stop accepting the shit that is thrown your way. Can we please start handling the options that are given to us my way?

DEMAND A PUBLIC INQUIRY INTO THE CORRUPTION ALLEGATIONS

Lots of good people have fought this and lost for over 20 years. If the public will open the door and provide protection to these individuals, Behiels wouldn't walk through alone. A petition is in the works and there is lots of work to be done to change the legislation in Canada regarding how police agencies are investigated. Share this message everywhere that you are able, strength in numbers is the only opportunity that we have. Please reach out if you are able to volunteer.

END

---

Read the whole interview below

Since it would be off brand for a straight laced article I went ahead and included the gifs and pictures.

1. According to the article… you sent a memo to the chief regarding how you had leaked “investigative materials to the press”. If Jonny Wakefield didn’t receive any documents from you then who did and where are they?

If you're asking if Wakefield's report of my memo to the chief is true: it is. I can really only explain what I didn't do: I didn't give any documents to Wakefield.

I really wish I could say more about this, but I can't.

2. If proof was submitted with the allegation then how did the Calgary anti-corruption unit find no evidence AND no wrong doing? 3. Did you find proof, and if so, what was it?

Not really sure what to do with this two-parter. I am a trained investigator, I don’t write careful and diligent reports without evidence… there’s nothing to put in the report otherwise. I don’t think I can explain more than that.

4. What does "threshold of suspicion" actually mean?

(to the reader... go ahead and skip to the part where normal people are able to understand this answer.)

Reasonable suspicion is a standard in law. Basically, it is whether a particular inference can be drawn from the evidence in light of an officer's experience. Above this threshold in law is reasonable and probable grounds to believe that a particular thing is true.

Lastly, if there is evidence at hand, how it all fits together (totality of circumstances) and how it is viewed on a subjective and objective basis has to be considered by an officer before coming to a particular conclusion.

As another example, I might find someone at time and in proximity of a particular offence: that might lead me to suspect that they committed the offence based on my experience.

These things might include elements of an offence, or particular contributing factors, such as the motive, means, or opportunity.

UMMMM ENGLISH PLEASE?

Suspicion: more than a hunch, still needs something to base it on. Reasonable and probable grounds (RPGs, in the biz) more evidence than that, even!

5. Why was Kevin Brezinski the only Deputy Chief mentioned in the article by Wakefield. Was he the only one mentioned in your memo?

I can’t discuss that at all, sorry.

Pretty sure that my pictures started turning him off... I get it. 🤢

6. Is it normal practice for a Chief (Mark Neufeld of the Calgary Police Service) to assign or sign off on an independent investigation? Is it normal practice that a former co-worker (Neufeld) of 24 years would have any oversight over an investigation of corruption (into Ed McIsaac)?

I can’t really say what’s “normal,” I’ve never worked in Professional Standards Branch. The Police Act is clear: all complaints’ ultimately are handled by the Chief unless the subject officer is the Chief himself.

By policy there are no conflict of interest protections or independent requirements for police corruption investigations?

You deserve an answer to that question.

7. Did you speak to the investigators in Calgary?

I am not allowed to reveal the existence of an ongoing investigation. However, since this one was apparently concluded in July, I can say yes, I did speak to anti-corruption investigators from Calgary.

8. Did you provide evidence to the Calgary officers at any time? And/or was the EPS supposed to do that? Do you know if they did?

Nice gif… evidence comes in a lot of forms. Obviously what inferences can be drawn from a particular piece of evidence is a matter of experience and analysis. If you’re asking if I handed over more than just a statement, yes, I did.

9. Is there any way that Calgary investigators could have determined that the EPS had no wrongdoing without fully investigating each claim and therefore determining what charges you would be guilty of? Why have two separate investigations?

I can’t answer that. Not only because I ought not to, but I really have no detail on the scope of Calgary Anti-corruption Unit’s investigation.

Okay. I see the two investigations as a teeter totter. What I’m really asking is: Calgary said the EPS had no wrongdoing based on the evidence... for that to be true you lied about what you found. Did you lie? Fib? Stretch? Omit?

It is my understanding on publicly available information is that the Edmonton Police Service released the statement: “In June 2021, CPS concluded their extensive investigations into [my] allegations and found no criminality or evidence of corruption by the EPS and its members”

I have no information about a statement that was released publicly by the Calgary Police Service. I am concerned, of course, that this statement to the media is… I need to be careful… incongruent with what I know to be true.

I haven’t lied. I wouldn’t lie about this. I reported what I know to be true to the Chief and to investigators assigned from ASIRT and Calgary Police Service. Period.

Do you count as one of the members they are referring to? @DMMcFee doesn’t seem like a real reasonable person since this has been out for so long and he’s been #silent. I’m gonna go ahead and guess you’re #fucked??

10. What charges could be laid for the EPS or McIsaac lying to the media? McIsaac is no longer a member, does that change anything? #accountability #yeggers #yeg #yegcrime #cdnpoli  @edmontonpolice @EPSCrimePrev @InspKemp can you answer this too Angela? #ThinkTank

11. How does McIsaac’s retirement affect police act charges? Criminal charges? Did he get a payout? From what I can see they all get paid to shut up and go...

I can't answer these questions. I'm not a lawyer, and I've never worked in PSB. Sorry!

Well that was anticlimactic. #cold #yeggers #edmonton #corruption #retirement to avoid #consequences #nailedit #lookatmego I’ll be back with more questions in a few days. #thanks

OUTSTANDING QUESTIONS

1. Did Behiels speak to any other investigators regarding the corruption that he found? I'll be asking him directly next week regarding every investigative agency in Canada and we can play a fun game of finding out who else is completely fucked and doesn't care about us.