FIRED BIKER COP SETTLES SUIT AGAINST PROVINCE

A fired biker-gang investigator who sued the Organized Crime Agency of
B.C. for wrongful dismissal has reached an out-of-court settlement
with the province.

Allen Dalstrom was fired by OCABC Chief Officer David Douglas in 2004
after concerns were raised about Dalstrom's handling of Project
Phoenix, a multimillion-dollar investigation of the Hells Angels that
was never prosecuted, and over comments Dalstrom allegedly made to a
journalist writing a book about the Angels.

Dalstrom alleged in court documents that Phoenix failed because of a
turf war between the RCMP and the OCABC.

His trial threatened to expose divisions between the RCMP and
municipal police in B.C., with some of the most senior officers in the
province scheduled to testify. They included RCMP Deputy Commissioner
Gary Bass, former deputy commissioner Bev Busson and former Vancouver
police chief Jamie Graham.

Dalstrom's trial began last month but only lasted a few days before
the two sides entered settlement talks.

On Wednesday, lawyers for both sides confirmed that a tentative
settlement had been reached.

Neither side would say exactly how big the settlement
is.

However, Dalstrom's lawyer Kevin Woodall said: "It involves a letter
of apology and it involves substantial compensation."