Norm Dorr says Hamilton police board censoring him

Metroland News Service

Norm Dorr says Chief Glenn De Caire and the police services board are taking away his right to freedom of speech and censoring him after he was denied a chance to speak at this month’s police services board meeting.

He says he received an email April 16 from a board administrator saying he didn’t meet the requirements to speak at the April 22 meeting.

Dorr, who spoke at the board’s March meeting, had specified that this month, he wanted to discuss lapel cameras and tasers.

They are refusing (to allow) me to talk,” said Dorr. “Number one, they are censoring me now, they are discriminating against me, they are profiling me, because Chief De Caire and (board chair) Mr. (Lloyd) Ferguson do not want to hear the truth.”

Dorr, father of Steve Mesic’s fiancée Sharon Dorr, has clashed with police over Mesic’s death. Mesic, a 43-year-old Mountain resident, was shot to death by Hamilton police last June. A mandatory inquest into his death is slated for later this spring.

The officers involved were cleared of criminal wrongdoing by the province’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU), but Dorr was upset with De Caire’s months-long refusal to meet with the family while the matter was under investigation by the independent agency.

At the March meeting, Dorr called for De Caire to step down immediately, noting that five citizens have died during encounters with Hamilton police during his time as chief. All of the deaths were investigated by the SIU and none was found to warrant criminal charges.

Dorr also criticized the chief and the board for deciding to keep secret reports on those and earlier — deaths, calling the chief’s assertion that privacy laws blocked their release “insulting.”

De Caire’s contract with the city ends Dec. 31.

The denial of Dorr’s latest deputation request comes just weeks after De Caire and his deputy chiefs sent a scathing letter, dated March 19, to board chair Lloyd Ferguson and the board saying what happened when Dorr spoke to the board last month was a disgrace.

The letter said Dorr’s presentation at the March 17 meeting violated policy by not including a written submission prior to the meeting. It said board member Terry Whitehead was contacted by Dorr about the deputation and was allowed to proceed without complying with board policy.

The letter also said the board allowed the deputation “to publicly malign the members of this Service with inaccurate, false and misleading statements.”

Whitehead did not respond to requests for comment over the weekend.

In an email to Metroland News Service, Ferguson said Dorr’s application outlining the content of his deputation was incomplete and he had previously spoken to the board about lapel cameras.

Dorr had not been aware of De Caire’s letter until Saturday, when he learned of it from Metroland News Service.

A second letter, issued on March 20 by Jamie Anderson, president of the Hamilton Police Services Senior Officers Association (SOA) and addressed to Ferguson, echoed concerns about the March meeting and the lack of decorum, alleging the reputation of Hamilton police has been tarnished by procedural errors.

“The lack of support for Chief De Caire, senior command, and members of the service is causing the (SOA) to begin to lose confidence in the board’s ability to remain impartial or to execute their duties in the joint best interests of the HPS and the community we all serve.”

Both letters are posted on the Hamilton Police Services website.

Board member Walt Juchniewicz, who chaired the meeting, declined to comment, adding that he’s planning to address the issues on Tuesday.

As a response to the letters, Ferguson said there will be a motion moved on Tuesday that all requests for deputation be approved by the board — a change he supports.
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