Former councillor asks for police chief's resignation

A former city councillor called on the city's top cop to resign and in the same breath said city council should consider a non-confidence vote on the Police Services Board.

Entrepreneur Bill Scollie appeared before council as a private citizen on Monday to address the city’s crime rate, which he said is out of control. Saying the TBPS has the highest number of officers per capita in the country, Scollie said the answer is not more police, but a restructuring of the force, starting at the top.
 
That’s when Scollie said Police Chief Robert Herman should call it a day.

“Money is not the problem. In my opinion it is the management of its (police) resources,” said Scollie. “This council should consider a vote of non-confidence for the police services board… concerning the state of crime in our city, and I’ve worded this very carefully, the present chief of police should consider resigning.”
 
Herman, responding Tuesday morning after a scheduled Police Services board meeting, said he’s not surprised Scollie, who is undecided whether he’ll seek the at-large council seat he lost in 2006 come October, would attack him.
 
Herman said he and Scollie butted heads while the latter was an elected official and the animosity has never really faded.
 
“That’s his point of view, and so be it, but it’s not going to happen. I think what’s more important is we actually look at the community safety issues that we have in this community and we continue to address them,” Herman said.
 
“Policing is a complex business. It’s very easy for an individual to say this is what needs to be done, but when you actually get into the business and how complex it is and what we’re trying to achieve, it’s not something that you can do overnight.”
 
Scollie also asked council to re-consider the decision to send a dozen officers to next month’s Vancouver Olympic Games, but Herman quashed that thought in a hurry.
 
“That’s not going to solve anything,” he said. “We made a commitment to the Olympics. We have the ability, through deploying other units to cover off if we’re short in other areas,” he said, noting summer vacations leave the department equally staffed.  
 
Wayne Bahlieda, chairman of the Police Services Board, said he wasn’t fully aware of what Scollie said about the board or his call for a non-confidence vote.
 
“But from the board’s perspective, our job is to ensure there are policies and procedures in place and that services are provided to the citizens of Thunder Bay and Oliver-Paipoonge. From a board perspective, we’re extremely happy with the level of service that the chief is providing and the senior levels of administration,” he said.

Coun. Joe Virdiramo, a member of the Police Services Board, said he was surprised by Scollie’s suggestions. Although he said he would be addressing some of Scollie’s issues with the board and chief, Virdiramo said he thinks the city’s crime situation has been improving.

Virdiramo said the city’s newly formed community safety committee is a start.

“Yes we do have issues like any other city has issues and we’re trying to address those issues the best way we can,” said Virdiramo. “I agree adding more and more officers to the service may not be the answer.”

Virdiramo said he would not comment on Scollie’s request that Herman resign.