DURHAM OFFICERS FACING NEW PROBE

30 Given Notices About Questioning

OPP Investigation Also Continuing

Notices have been given to 30 Durham Region police officers advising
them they will be questioned by investigators with internal affairs
about alleged wrongdoing by former members of the force's elite drug
squad unit, a force spokesperson said.

The start of the internal-affairs probe comes as a criminal
investigation by the Ontario Provincial Police into what a source
called the alleged "strong arm ... overzealous tactics" by the
12-member squad is due to wrap up in about two weeks.

Although 30 officers on the 850-member force were notified, only
around eight could face possible Police Services Act charges.
Punishment upon conviction ranges from a reprimand to dismissal from
the force, said David Selby, director of the force's corporate
communications.

The OPP investigation has created havoc on the force, leaving officers
demoralized, said Tom Bell, vice-president of the police union.

"This investigation has dragged on for so long that officers are
afraid of doing their jobs, worried that somehow they are going to get
dragged into this," he said.

Several officers on the force, who asked that their names not be used,
branded the OPP probe a "witch hunt" that has "destroyed lives ...
wrecked careers," and led to at least four divorces.

Both Selby and an OPP spokesperson said the lengthy investigation was
necessary because of the seriousness of the allegations, made by a
one-time member of the unit who had been asked to leave the squad by
its leader, Detective Tom Andrews.

"We want this to be over as quickly as possible," said Selby.
"However, we owe it to the officers involved, our employees and the
public to fully investigate any serious allegations of wrongdoing. We
can't control the clock. This has to be done right."

"It was a complex investigation," said Sergeant Terry Blace, with the
OPP. "We wanted to be thorough and we wanted to be fair. And that
takes time."

Durham Police Chief Kevin McAlpine called in the OPP in January, 2003,
to investigate allegations that members of the unit had been allegedly
"intimidating" suspects, for instance.

Up until then, the squad had been highly touted by the force for its
work in shutting down marijuana grow houses, a fact that was noted by
the chief in the force's annual report.

According to police statistics, in 2002 the unit made more than 360
arrests, with only two complaints from the public: one for an alleged
assault and a second that an officer had sworn at a suspect. Both were
investigated and dismissed.

The unit was so successful, Andrews was nominated by the other 11
members of his unit for police officer of the year in 2002.

On the application form for the annual Lions Club award, Andrews was
described as a "no nonsense" officer who believed that drug dealers
were a "scourge of the earth" that sold "poison" in an unsuspecting
community. "Tom would pursue criminals relentlessly," the award
nomination said. His favourite saying: "Put a fork in them, they're
done."

But after a former squad member accused his colleagues of being
abusive toward suspects, the OPP was called in. Andrews was
re-assigned to the fraud squad, and the other members of the unit all
quit in protest. His nomination for police officer of the year was
quietly shelved.

On Wednesday, Andrews, supported by 25 officers, made a brief
appearance before the police tribunal on internal charges of
misconduct in relation to the OPP probe of his former unit. He
declined to speak to the Star.

Bell said that Durham officers have run out of patience with the
OPP.

"We've been waiting and waiting and waiting to find out what will
happen with the OPP investigation," he said. "The uncertainty is
killing us."