Pubdate: Wed, 30 Nov 2005
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Copyright: 2005 The Vancouver Sun
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477
Author: Frances Bula

CHIEF FELT 'OBLIGED' TO SEEK PROBE OF MAYOR-ELECT

Vancouver police Chief Jamie Graham says he felt obliged to ask the 
RCMP several weeks ago to review the past conduct of mayor-elect Sam 
Sullivan because otherwise he would have been questioned about why he 
hadn't investigated something that appeared to be a criminal act.

"I was faced with a dilemma. I did not want to affect the upcoming 
election . . . [but] the circumstances in my view warrant a careful 
examination, so that at the end of the day there will be no criticism 
that we saw facts and we did not act," Graham said.

The chief, who was speaking at a Vancouver Board of Trade conference 
at the Wall Centre, faced a barrage of questions from reporters about 
news that the RCMP, at Graham's request, is reviewing Sullivan's past 
admissions that he has given people money to buy drugs.

Sullivan has also said that on at least one occasion he drove an 
addict to a Downtown Eastside location to buy drugs and allowed him 
to smoke crack in his van.

"I felt that based on those facts, those self-admissions, it would be 
prudent for police to have a careful look at this because of the 
possible conflict with the Vancouver police and Mr. Sullivan's future 
as the possible chair of the police might warrant having an outside 
agency look at this," Graham said.

Graham's request adds a considerable element of strain to what is 
already an unpromising relationship between Sullivan and Vancouver police.

During the election campaign, Sullivan announced he would create a 
"crime commissioner" to tackle Vancouver's crime problem. Graham 
responded that that was actually his job.

The head of the Vancouver police union criticized Sullivan for 
claiming that police could put more officers on the street by finding 
efficiencies. Sullivan maintained that it was his job to make sure 
that the city gets "value for money" from the police and not just 
write them a blank cheque, which he claimed Vision Vancouver's Jim 
Green was promising.

Graham said he contacted the province's conflict-of-interest 
commissioner, Judge H.A.D. Oliver, to ask him how to proceed and 
Oliver advised him to send the file to the RCMP. Graham did that 
shortly after he read a story in The Vancouver Sun that detailed an 
encounter between Sullivan and a young man in the Downtown Eastside, 
where Sullivan gave money to buy crack twice during the evening and 
drove the young man to the corner of Hastings and Columbia to make the buy.

That incident took place sometime after February of 2001, although 
neither party could recall the exact date.

"A careful analysis of the circumstances as written in that article 
could lead one to believe that there could be an offence . . . 
regarding possession of drugs or facilitation or conspiracy of a drug 
offence," Graham said, adding that he doesn't normally ask for 
pre-investigation reviews based on newspaper stories, but that this 
was an exceptional situation.

Sullivan responded that he thinks Graham asked for the investigation 
only because Mayor Larry Campbell and Coun. Jim Green forced the 
issue by constantly referring to it during the election campaign.

But, when asked if he thought Graham was responding to political 
pressure, Sullivan replied: "No, I think the chief is a professional."

He said he hasn't been interviewed yet by the RCMP but will cooperate 
fully with whatever he is asked to do.

Campbell and Green typically did not bring up the issue unless they 
were asked about it by reporters, but the Vision Vancouver campaign 
did run a series of ads in the Chinese media in the last days of the 
election, telling voters that Sullivan had bought drugs for users.

Campbell also wrote to the solicitor-general's ministry during the 
campaign, asking for its position on Sullivan's suitability to be on 
the police board, given his past actions.

Kevin Begg, the assistant deputy minister in the ministry, said the 
ministry is taking no action because the mayor of Vancouver 
automatically becomes the police board chair and there is no 
requirement that he or she go through any security check or review of 
their suitability.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman