Calgary police got it wrong in handling Sean Chu’s sexual assault allegations: Commission

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Calgary police made mistakes in their internal handling of 1997 high-profile sexual assault allegations against Sean Chu, who is now a city councilman, the Calgary Police Commission stated Thursday.

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The accusations made against the then CPS const. Chu emerged during last fall’s civic elections, prompting fellow lawmakers and many Calgarians to call for him to resign.

After its own investigation, the commission said it found that the police did not follow some disciplinary protocols.

“YesSome policies and processes … were not properly followed during the internal investigation, primarily when a disciplinary investigation was completed and how the information was communicated to the young woman who reported that she had been sexually assaulted by the officer,” said a statement released by the police. commission. .

Those lapses did not affect the outcome of the case as an investigation and disciplinary hearing were held, the commission, which civilly oversees CPS, said, adding:the errors created significant delay and mistrust in the process.”

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While there is no legal basis to reopen the case, commission chairman Shawn Cornett said he hopes his efforts will prevent such failures from happening again.

“A teenage girl came to the service with serious allegations about an officer and the service failed to provide her with the compassionate support she needed to navigate a complex and intimidating process,” Cornett said.

“It wasn’t okay then and it wouldn’t be okay now.”

Reports of the issue first surfaced just days before the 2021 municipal election that Chu was found guilty of disgraceful conduct over an incident of inadequate physical contact with a 16-year-old girl in 1997, when he was a Calgary police officer in his 30s.

The girl reported to the police that Chu assaulted her at home, and although she did not offender charges were filed, he later complained about the research to the Law Enforcement Review Board.

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The LERB ​​ruled that the police service needed to conduct a disciplinary check research and in 2003, a formal five-year ban was placed on Chu’s file.

Chu publicly addressed the issue soon after. victorious a third term last October. The accepted what he called “touch with consent” with the girl at her house after her shift.

He said he met her when she was in uniform and on duty, but said he didn’t know she was a minor because he found her at a “licensed establishment” where people would have to prove they were 18 years old to enter.

The girl also presented a civil lawsuit against Chu in 1999, and his statement of claim describes a very different version of events.

He said that Chu knew her age because he had met her a few years before, and they had talked on the phone or met by chance several times before the meeting. alleged assault in 1997.

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she also alleged Chu was supposed to take her home from a restaurant, not a bar, when he took her to his residence and said he got his gun from the Calgary police service.”to overcome their resistance to the sexual assault.”

On Thursday, CPS said its handling of the Chu case would not be repeated today after a review of its protocols.

“The reporting process dating back to 1997 in this case would not meet our current standards or expectations for compassionate and professional communication with a complainant, especially in this case a youth,” CPS said.

As a result of this work, our Professional Standards Section now has clearly defined processes and expectations for the ways in which investigations are conducted, governance oversight of file review, and the ways in which we communicate with whistleblowers. ”.

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The commission said that CPS’s criminal investigation into the matter and its decision not to charge Chu were beyond its mandate, but that the recommendations it made have already been met by CPS, which fully cooperated with its review.

The biggest change is that the province would now be notified of a case of police misconduct involving an allegation of sexual assault and the file would be independently investigated or at least reviewed by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team,” the statement said. commission in a statement. that echoed Thursday’s CPS comment.

–With archives of Madeline Smith

[email protected]

Twitter: @BillKaufmannjrn

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