The Ontario Civilian Police Commission has announced that Thunder Bay Police Chief Sylvie Hout will face hearings on misconduct hours after announcing his impending retirement.
THUNDER BAY – Police Chief Sylvie Hout will face hearings on alleged violations, the Ontario Civil Police Commission (OCPC) said.
The revelation comes just hours after Hout announced his intention to retire in June 2023.
She did not mention the hearings in that statement, believing that it was not clear whether she knew about them at the time.
Hout will no longer be subject to hearings under the Police Services Act after her retirement, leaving uncertainty as to whether the disciplinary process will have time to end before she leaves.
The chief was not available for an interview Wednesday, according to a spokesman for the Thunder Bay Police Department.
Colin Woods, president of the Thunder Bay Police Association, which represents regular members, said it “seems like too much of a coincidence” that the two announcements were made on the same day.
The association has previously expressed concerns about the leadership of the force.
The news also raises questions about whether Hout can continue to serve in his position for another year until his retirement, Woods said.
The administrator assigned to oversee the police service will have to seriously consider whether Hauth should be suspended pending a hearing, he said, noting that the TBPS usually decides whether to remove officers accused of PSA violations.
“I think it’s pretty serious to have a police chief with a notice of charges,” he said.
The OCPC announced its investigation against Hout and other service leaders in February.
The commission then said it would investigate allegations that Hout had not taken appropriate steps to deal with the actions of dismissed Deputy Chief Ryan Hughes, provided “misinformation” to the Thunder Bay Police Council and failed to take appropriate steps to deal with the allegations. for misconduct by TBPS members.
In a statement issued Wednesday, the commission said the investigation showed that the PSA hearing was justified.
Three charges of alleged misconduct will be heard at the hearing.
The first involved Hauth’s role in an investigation launched by TBPS against police board member Goerjann Morriseau for a breach of trust related to allegations that she had shared confidential information with a police officer.
Hout was aware of this investigation and allowed it to continue, although in a confidential note of 12 October 2021 he admitted to the police board that “it would not be appropriate for the police service to investigate any of its members or board members”, according to the information provided by the OCPC.
Hout should have immediately terminated the investigation or immediately transferred it to another police service, the OCPC said.
The investigation was eventually transferred to the OPP, but it was not until 17 December 2020 that Hout became aware of the investigation at least as early as 23 November 2020, when the removed Deputy Chief Hughes informed her of the details of the investigation in an email submitted by the OPC. evidence.
The OPP closed the investigation against Morrisso after concluding that her actions had not reached the threshold of a criminal offense.
In a second indictment, the OCPC alleges that Hautt “cheated or tried to deceive” the police board about her knowledge of the Morrisso investigation.
In a note dated October 12, 2021, Hout made the board believe she did not know about the investigation until December 9, 2020, weeks after the OCPC claimed to have been informed of it by Hughes.
Hout’s third count includes a second note she sent to the board on October 18, 2021, clarifying that she had received earlier emails from Hughes. The second note was sent only after Hughes asked Hout to clarify the board’s schedule to indicate that he had informed her of the investigation, according to the OCPC statement of facts.
However, allegations by OCPC Hauth continued to mislead the board about its knowledge of other aspects of the investigation, such as when the production order would be placed on Morriseau’s phone.
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