VANCOUVER, B.C.: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) today called on the Transit Police to release details on an investigation into an ongoing “culture of harassment” within their ranks.

News of the investigation surfaced in a Vancouver Province report today, with sources calling sexual harassment incidents within Transit Police “disturbing,” “terrible,” and part of a “culture of harassment.”

“It’s time for the Transit Police to come clean on their internal problems – and they can start by releasing all investigation reports into this ‘culture of harassment’,” said Jordan Bateman, the CTF’s B.C. Director. “The taxpayers shelling out $32 million to pay for this force deserve to know the full, unvarnished truth about what we’re paying for.”

The CTF had previously asked for details and costs of this investigation but were refused by Transit Police. However, the CTF has learned that the external investigator was originally Susan Arnold of the law firm Heenan Blaikie. When HB closed earlier this year, Arnold formed her own firm: Sheen Arnold McNeil. It is unclear whether the Transit Police investigation file went with her.

Bateman noted the CTF wants answers to several questions:

• How many Transit Police officers were disciplined?
• What were the punishments?
• Are these officers still working regular shifts?
• Is Cst. Tabatha Swadron back on the job, and was she compensated in any way for this mistreatment?
• Was Cst. Swadron the only victim of this mistreatment?
• When will Transit Police release the investigation report?
• How much did the lawyers cost?
• Were any of the actions by Transit Police officers criminal in nature? Will any be charged?
• Has this file been referred to an outside police agency for independent investigation?
• Why did the Transit Police communications officer not tell the full truth in February about the reason for Cst. Swadron’s leave of absence?
• What steps have been taken to break down this “culture of harassment”?

“This police force recently launched a highly-publicized campaign against sexual harassment on transit, yet is apparently rife with harassment itself,” said Bateman. “This is hypocritical and taxpayers deserve to know the extent of these issues and what is being done to clean it up.”