Fathers Canada

A public hearing will be held in the mistaken arrest and beating of a man by two Vancouver police officers, the police complaint commissioner announced Tuesday.

Yao Wei Wu was injured by two plainclothes Vancouver officers responding to a call about a domestic dispute in an adjacent suite on Jan. 21. Wu's left eye was swollen shut following the altercation.

But after an investigation by Delta police, Const. Nicholas Florkow and Const. Bryan London were both cleared of all criminal acts and contraventions of the B.C. Police Act. Delta Police Chief Const. Jim Cessford said he had determined the constables were "acting in the course of their duties and in good faith."

Police Complaint Commissioner Stan T. Lowe has reviewed that decision, and determined that a public hearing was necessary to determine if Florkow and London had abused their authority.

"A public hearing in this matter is required to preserve or restore public confidence in the investigation of misconduct and the administration of police discipline," Lowe wrote in the notice of public hearing.

Wu and the BC Civil Liberties Association have alleged that the officers used excessive force and that the situation was exacerbated by a language barrier -- Wu's first language is Cantonese.

Police Investigating Police

The Delta police investigation, concluded earlier this month, found that Florkow and London used reasonable force in detaining Wu.

"They had reasonable grounds to believe that an assault had occurred and may be still occurring; they had reasonable and probable grounds to believe that Mr. Wu was the suspect in this assault, or at least an assaultive subject," Cessford wrote in his report

After the results of the investigation were made public, family representative Gabriel Yiu told CTV News that Wu was too disillusioned to file an appeal.

"Any ordinary citizen who pays attention to this case would lose any trust in the police-investigating-police system," he said. "Mr. Wu does not want to waste any more time and energy filing an appeal."

Wu is, however, pursuing a lawsuit against the City of Vancouver, the Corporation of Delta and Florkow and London.

Former Vancouver police officer Peter Hodson has pleaded guilty to dealing marijuana on and off duty.

The former constable was arrested and promptly fired from the force in April after a two month investigation into his activities.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of breach of trust by a public officer and one charge of trafficking in a controlled substance in Vancouver provincial court on Tuesday. A fourth charge of break and enter with intent will be stayed.

Hodson's lawyer Vincent Michaels told ctvbc.ca that he and his client weighed their options before deciding on a guilty plea.

"We felt it was in his best interest in the circumstance as a whole," Michaels said.

Despite the change in fortune for Hodson, a former star basketball player and humanitarian, Michaels said his client remains upbeat.

"He is a positive individual," he said.

Sentencing in the case is scheduled for June 1, 2 and 3.

Michaels declined to comment on what punishment he plans to seek for his client, but said, "I expect there will be a divergence on the positions of the Crown and the defence."

Hodson's offences date back to December of last year. Investigators found no evidence that other officers were involved in his crimes, but a civilian co-defendant, Oscar Lapitan, faces one charge of trafficking in a controlled substance. His case is still before the courts.

A special office involving as many as 30 officers was created to investigate the offences, and police received assistance from specialized units of the RCMP.

Convicted drug dealer Tyson Pappas told CTV News in April that his allegations launched the investigation into Hodson.

Pappas said that he was recruited to sell drugs for the officer, but decided to turn to the police when Hodson allegedly broke into his downtown Eastside rooming suite and demanded money from him.

Pappas said he agreed to wear a wire, and investigators listened in during several conversations between him and Hodson.

Vancouver Police Department Chief Jim Chu announced the charges against Hodson at a press conference on Apr. 21, describing the case as "shocking and disturbing."

Before he was a cop, Hodson played basketball for White Rock Christian Academy, and then at Langara College and the University of B.C.

He also founded an African literacy charity called Under the Reading Tree after a trip to Uganda.

Veteran VPD officer found guilty in pub assault

A high-ranking Vancouver police officer has been found guilty of assault for an unprovoked attack on a man standing outside a Kitsilano pub last year.

By: ctvbc.ca

Date: Tuesday Nov. 30, 2010 11:21 AM PT

A high-ranking Vancouver police officer has been found guilty of assault for an unprovoked attack on a man standing outside a Kitsilano pub last year.

 

A separate charge of assault with a weapon was thrown out Tuesday morning against Sgt. Darcy Taylor, a 20-year veteran with the Vancouver Police Department.

 

During the trial, the Crown showed surveillance video appearing to show Taylor rushing in to hit Justin Wachtel outside of the Regal Beagle Pub in Aug. 2009.

 

Wachtel's lawyer said his client was just texting when the officer charged him and cross-checked him in the face with his baton.

But Taylor testified his adrenaline was pumping when he was surrounded in a large brawl and the collision was accidental.

 

In his decision, Judge David Pendleton disagreed, saying he was satisfied that Taylor "was not exercising his police duty regarding Wachtel."

 

"This is not a case where he tripped on a curb, nor is it a case where he was looking over his shoulder," Pendleton said. "In this case, Sgt. Taylor was running down the sidewalk and made a decision to shove Wachtel out of the way."

 

Taylor is scheduled for sentencing on Feb. 4, 2011.

With files from CTV British Columbia's Jon Woodward