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RCMP
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Inspector Connie
Snow
Photo by Karen
Roche
Arresting development
May 22, 2003, Gazette
Inspector Connie Snow, the
first female member of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, has
faced a number of tough challenges in her life. Her experiences
range from being beaten up on the job to guarding the Queen.
Now, 32 years after first entering Memorial, she has earned a
BA in police studies.
Connie decided to return to
school to pursue her degree in 2001. "My oldest son was
preparing to enter university, and I jokingly said I'd like to
graduate before him." The full-time mother of three juggled
her family and career and returned to Memorial part-time. "Some
of my friends were afraid that it would be difficult to be back
in a classroom with young people, but I was just another student.
My classmates were very accepting of me and my professors were
fabulous. Of course, everyone got a chuckle one day when I said
I couldn't see the board because I had left my glasses at home."
Finding the time to study was
one of the most difficult challenges Connie faced. "For
the past 18 months, I've been consumed by my job and school.
I had to give up some things so I gave up housework." She
admitted that the toughest part was juggling other people's expectations
of her; however, she refused to lose sight of her goal.
She has a keen interest in
the dynamics of abuse, family violence and child physical and
sexual assault. She has written several articles for national
and international publications and has spoken across the country
on these topics. "My main objectives in life are to learn
and teach."
In 1990, she was the first
member of the RNC to obtain certificates in police studies and
advanced police studies from the Canadian Police College. In
1998, she received an International Leadership Award for her
commitment and dedication to policing.
"I need to keep learning
to effectively serve the people of the province."
Connie sits on a number of
committees including Memorial's Sexual Harassment Board. "I
was happy to be invited to the board. While it may seem hokey,
I believe my greatest achievement is having helped so many victims
feel empowered and begin healing.
"We might like to think
that in the halls of higher learning there's no need for information
about abuse and violence; however, there is definitely a need
for it. I think we've made some positive steps forward, but there's
still a lot of work to do."
Connie also encourages all
people to act as agents of change. "People should never
be afraid to speak up for justice and fairness, whether they
are in class, at work, or in a social setting; that's how we
progress."
- Aimee Sheppard
While injusticebusters
were busy with the Klassen/Kvello lawsuit and policing problems
in Saskatoon this summer, an important sexual harassment case
was unfolding in Newfoundland.
JUDGE WON'T QUASH CHIEF'S
COMPLAINT
ST. JOHN'S - RNC Insp. Connie
Snow has lost a bid to have a complaint made against her by Police
Chief Richard Deering thrown out.
Deering made 11 allegations
against Snow last June and initiated an internal investigation
into her conduct. Snow applied to the Supreme Court to have the
complaint quashed.
From Sept. 16, 2003: Women
show at court to back Snow
But Friday morning, Justice
Raymond Halley dismissed that request. In his written decision,
Halley says Snow seemed to be driven by resentment in losing
the competition for the chief's job to Deering.
He says that disappointment
was made worse when Deering didn't appoint her deputy chief.
Deering, in his complaint, alleges that Snow spread slanderous
rumours about him and encouraged other officers to do the same.
Snow has said that Deering's complaint was meant to intimidate
her and protect himself against the allegations of sexual harassement
he's facing.
But Halley questions why Snow
refused to cooperate with Deering. He had wanted to investigate
her allegations that some police officers had sexually assaulted
female officers and civilian employees.
Halley says the chief showed
a remarkable amount of understanding, restraint and tolerance
in dealing with Snow.
He concluded that Deering's
complaint against Snow was made solely to protect the integrity
of the force.
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DEERING DEFENDS COMPLAINT
AGAINST SNOW
ST. JOHN'S - Chief Richard
Deering of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary told a Supreme
Court judge Friday he had no choice but to launch an investigation
into the conduct of Insp.
Connie Snow. Snow has asked the court to stop that review.
Deering has accused Snow of
spreading slanderous and false rumors about him. In testimony,
Deering said Snow raised concerns with him about inappropriate
and criminal behaviour by some officers, but he wasn't sure why
she did that.
He says she refused to make
a formal complaint, and that left him wondering whether Snow
may have been trying to set him up. Deering also told the court
how he learned of the complaint of sexual harassment against
him. Nicole Gosse, a former civilian manger, had complained to
the Public Service Commission that she had been sexually harassed
by the chief. Deering says he was told by another officer that
Snow had encouraged Gosse to make that accusation.
Chief waited for MHAs' summer
break He told the court he met with Justice Department officials
about filing a complaint against Snow as far back as May, but
he didn't follow through until June.
Under questioning by Bernard
Coffey, Snow's lawyer, Deering acknowledged he waited until the
House of Assembly recessed to formally file his complaint.
Court documents show that Snow
tried to have the sexual harassment complaint raised in the legislature
and have Deering suspended while that complaint was being dealt
with.
In court documents, Snow says
Deering's complaint was unfounded, and he was trying to deter
her and other officers from co-operating with an investigation
into Gosse's harassment complaint.
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MEETING INTO HARASSMENT
AT RNC CRITICIZED
ST. JOHN'S - A meeting into
harassment at the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC) is raising
skepticism in the people it was meant to help. Senior officials
from the Department of Justice, the RNC, the police association
and NAPE held an all-day planning session Wednesday on respectful
workplace policies.
But calls to the Advisory Council
on the Status of Women started coming in from doubtful female
employees before the meeting even started. They doubt anything
can come from a meeting of officials.
Council president Joyce Hancock
says particularly disturbing is the participation of Chief Richard
Deering.
Deering is currently facing
allegations of sexual harassement against a former RNC civilian
employee.
"One of the biggest disrespects
... is to say that we're going to handle it, and (then) to have
someone who's not freed from allegations of harassment part of
making a respectful workplace policy," she says.
Hancock says the direction
for creating a respectful workplace needs to come from the woman
who have been harassed, and the agencies that help them.
Until that is done, she says
improvements are unlikely.
But Joe Boland, president of
the RNC Association, says some progress has been made by bringing
managers and union leaders together. He suggests creating a support
group at the RNC to help women who have a complaint.
"We're pleased to take
part in the process (and) we're encouraged by what we've heard
this morning," he says.
"We'd like to see anything
that improves working conditions for our members or NAPE civilian
employees."
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SNOW
MAY HAVE BEEN VICTIM, COURT TOLD
ST. JOHN'S - The Supreme Court
of Newfoundland and Labrador was told Tuesday that Insp. Connie
Snow may have been the victim of police misconduct.
Snow, who is being investigated
for conduct unbecoming an officer, is asking the court to remove
Chief Richard Deering from the review. In turn, Deering has accused
Snow of spreading slanderous rumors about him.
From Aug. 29, 2003: Deering
defends complaint against Snow Deputy Chief Joe Brown testified
Deering told him two years ago that Snow had made allegations
of criminal misconduct by some officers.
Brown said it wasn't until
February 2003 that the chief insisted her concerns be investigated.
Deering gave Brown notes he had taken from that earlier meeting.
In the notes, Deering wrote
that Snow herself was a victim of police misconduct.
Brown testified that he didn't
ask the chief why he waited so long to mention that Snow had
been victimized.
The deputy chief also said
he didn't ask Snow about it, even though he has known Snow for
years and the two had risen through the ranks together.
Outside of court Tuesday, Snow
denied she ever told the chief she was a victim of police misconduct.
She said it didn't come up when she spoke with him almost two
years ago.
Final arguments in the case
are scheduled to be heard on Sept. 16.
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RNC PURSUES ANONYMOUS
COMPLAINANT
ST. JOHN'S - The Royal Newfoundland
Constabulary has been taking extraordinary steps to find out
who made anonymous and unfounded complaints against an officer
and the chief.
Last summer, the Department
of Justice received an anonymous tip that acting Insp. Sean Ryan
may have defrauded the constabulary when he was paid by Environment
Canada to teach a defensive tactics course at Holland College
in P.E.I.
It was alleged Ryan was being
paid by the constabulary while teaching the course.
The Justice Department turned
the information over to the RCMP to investigate. During that
investigation someone made an anonymous phone call, claiming
Chief Richard Deering altered payroll files to protect Ryan.
The RCMP investigated both
allegations and concluded they were unfounded.
The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary
then launched a criminal investigation to find out who may have
committed mischief by making the false allegations.
The person who passed on the
tip had obtained documents through Environment Canada's access
to information office in Gatineau, Que.
The constabulary got a search
warrant to find out the person's name, information that's usually
protected under federal legislation.
Duff Conacher of the advocacy
group Democracy Watch says that search raises questions about
police motives.
"It seems to be a completely
inappropriate use of police power to send the message to the
public: 'don't complain about the police because we'll find you,
we'll come after you, and we'll use all our police powers to
discourage you and others from filing such complaints in the
future.' "
Conacher says people who make
complaints in good faith should not become the subject of a criminal
investigation.
Deering and Ryan are not commenting.
A spokesperson for the Constabulary says the police have every
right to follow up on allegations that are false and potentially
malicious.
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WOMEN SHOW AT COURT TO
BACK SNOW
ST. JOHN'S - About 40 women
were in the gallery at the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and
Labrador Tuesday to show silent support for Insp. Connie Snow
of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary.
Jane Robinson of the Women's
Centre says the case is an opportunity to raise awareness about
harassment.
"I think that there are
a lot fewer women here today than there are cases of harassment
in the workplace," she says. "I think it's unfortunately
quite common."
The court has been hearing
final arguments in Snow's application to have an investigation
into her conduct dropped.
Snow says police Chief Richard
Deering misused his office and authority during an investigation
into a sexual harassment complaint against him. That complaint
was made by Nicole Gosse, a former civilian manager with the
Constabulary.
Snow says Deering tried to
intimidate her and other officers to prevent them from co-operating
with investigators.
In return, Deering claims Snow
spread slanderous rumors about him.
Snow is asking the court to
quash Deering's complaint against her and to stop the investigation
into her conduct.
Michael Harrington, Deering's
lawyer, argues the case could be viewed as a waste of judicial
resources and that the court has no place to intervene in a complaint
at such an early stage. Harrington says if Snow finds fault with
the outcome of the investigation, there is a process in place
for her to appeal.
The court will continue to
hear arguments Wednesday.
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POLICE CHIEF QUESTIONS
INSPECTOR'S MOTIVES
ST. JOHN'S - Chief Richard
Deering of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary testified Thursday
in a legal action launched by Insp. Connie Snow. She's trying
to stop an investigation that Deering ordered into her conduct
on the job.
Deering was questioned about
why it took him 15 months to follow up on concerns Snow raised
about gender-related biases within the RNC and inappropriate
behavior by some officers. She had also told him that if her
concerns were brought to the attention of the Justice Department,
some senior officers would be in serious trouble.
Deering testified that he encouraged
Snow to contact Justice officials and to formally file any complaints.
He said Snow didn't do that, and he had a feeling that perhaps
she was trying to set him up.
In June, Deering filed a complaint
with RNC lawyers and asked that Snow be investigated for conduct
unbecoming a police officer. He has said Snow spread false and
slanderous rumors about him. Snow is asking the Newfoundland
and Labrador Supreme Court to have that investigation quashed
because Deering is hostile and biased toward her.
The court also heard Thursday
that the relationship between the two got off to a rocky start.
Deering says he was disconcerted that Snow had her back turned
to him for a few moments when they first met.
Deering will continue his testimony
Friday.
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DOCUMENTS STATE CASE FOR REVERSING RULING
ST. JOHN'S - A former employee
of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC) has outlined why
she believes a recent decision by the RNC Public Complaints Commission
should be reversed.
Nicole Gosse filed a complaint
with the commission alleging sexual harassment by Chief Richard
Deering.
But the complaints commissioner
dismissed the complaint, ruling an employer/employee matter falls
outside her jurisdiction of investigating police misconduct.
In documents filed with the
court, Gosse argues that was a mistake.
The documents state that sexual
harassment, if proven, is conduct unbecoming of a police officer,
even if it's against an employee. Gosse's lawyer says that's
still a violation of the RNC Act.
Decision shouldn't have been
reversed The documents claim a commissioner is not authorized
to dismiss a complaint against a police chief, and that the complaint
should have been referred to an adjudicator.
A former commissioner, Leslie
Harris, decided several months ago that the complaint did fall
within the commission's jurisdiction. The court documents state
that once that decision has been made, it can't be reversed.
Deering denies all allegations
of sexual harassment.
A date for the appeal will
be set later this month.
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PROVINCE TO REVIEW RNC
COMPLAINTS COMMISSION
ST. JOHN'S - Premier Roger
Grimes says the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC) Public
Complaints Commission may need work. The commission dismissed
a complaint of sexual harassment against RNC Chief Richard Deering,
saying the complaint falls outside its jurisdiction.
In her complaint, Nicole Gosse,
a former manager with the RNC, alleges she was sexually harassed
by Deering.
Grimes says the reasons for
the dismissal will be reviewed.
In a letter to Gosse, commissioner
Lois Hoegg says the commission isn't designed to deal with employer/employee
matters, but rather police misconduct. Grimes says government
may have to take a second look at the legislation.
"Our decision will be
whether or not we feel, as a result of this, that our piece of
legislation would need to be amended for the future," he
says.
"It certainly can't be
amended for now and we'll study whether or not we'll change the
complaints role for the commissioner into the future."
Harassment within the ranks
of the RNC is also an issue for the province's largest union,
the Newfoundland Association of Public and Private Employees
(NAPE).
Union president Leo Puddister
has called for an inquiry into reports of harassment. That has
happened, but Puddister says there are signs that government
is preparing to deal with the issue.
"We're satisfied to a
degree that this is going to happen and we hope this will be
the end of it," he says.
A meeting has been called for
early next month between the union, senior justice officials,
the chief of police and the police association.
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COMMISSION RULING ANGERS
WOMEN'S GROUP
ST. JOHN'S - The province's
status of women council is angry a sexual harassment complaint
against Chief Richard Deering has been dismissed. The RNC Public
Complaints Commission ruled the complaint, filed by former RNC
employee Nicole Gosse, doesn't fall under the commission's jurisdiction.
In a one-page letter to Gosse,
the commission said they wouldn't be pursuing the matter any
further.
The decision will make women
more reluctant to complain about police officers, says Joyce
Hancock, president of the Advisory Council on the Status of Woman.
She says the entire handling
of the complaint is sending the wrong message, starting with
Deering being allowed to stay on the job.
"You have a process in
place to look at police conduct, or the exercising of police
power and authority, and you leave in the place of power and
authority the person who is alleged to have conducted himself
wrongly," Hancock says. "It doesn't make any sense."
Hancock says Deering should
have stepped down while the complaint was being investigated.
In her complaint, Nicole Gosse alleges she was sexually harassed
by Deering on several occasions while working at Fort Townsend.
After an eight-month investigation,
commissioner Lois Hoegg ruled the complaint is an employer/employee
issue, and not one of police misconduct.
Gosse is appealing the commission's
ruling. She is also suing Deering, the RNC and the province.
Copyright © 2003 CBC
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EX-COMMISSIONER SURPRISED
COMPLAINT TOSSED
ST. JOHN'S - A former police
complaints commissioner says he's surprised a complaint of sexual
harassment against RNC Chief Richard Deering has been dismissed.
Leslie Harris ordered the investigation
into the complaint before he resigned as commissioner for health
reasons three months ago.
In her complaint, former RNC
employee Nicole Gosse alleges she was sexually harassed by Deering
on several occasions while working at Fort Townsend.
After an eight-month investigation,
the current commissioner, Lois Hoegg, says the complaint is an
employee/employer issue and doesn't come under the jurisdiction
of the commission.
Harris disagrees with his successor.
"I had made the original
decision that it was within the jurisdiction of the commission
and, therefore, I was surprised when the new commissioner ruled
that it was not," he says.
"That's a matter of judgment
and obviously her judgment was different from mine."
Gosse is appealing the decision.
In a one-page decision dated July 31, Hoegg says the complaint
doesn't involve police conduct, or the exercising of police powers
or action.
Hoegg is on holiday and could
not be reached for comment.
Gosse alleges that Deering
harassed her at least 12 times by making inappropriate comments
about her physique, pressuring her to invite him to dinner, and
to travel with him to Corner Brook.
She claims the harassment eventually
forced her to quit.
Gosse is also taking legal
action against
Deering, the RNC and the provincial
government. Her lawyer will not say if the commission's dismissal
of her complaint will have any impact on those proceedings.
Copyright © 2003 CBC
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RNC CHIEF HAS NO PLANS
TO STEP ASIDE
ST. JOHN'S - Chief Richard
Deering of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary is publicly denying
accusations that he sexual harassed Nicole Gosse, a former civilian
manager with the police force.
She is suing Deering, the police
force and the provincial government.
In court documents, Gosse claims
that Deering sexually harassed her on a dozen occasions when
she was the director of information services. She isn't commenting
on the case.
Deering filed his statement
of defence on Tuesday.
He won't discuss details, but
Thursday morning the chief publicly denied the accusations and
said he wouldn't resign.
"At the end of the day,
the decision as to whether I step aside is not mine, and I'm
not going to volunteer to step aside," Deering says. "I
have confidence in my ability to do my job. I come in every day
and focus on my job and do the best job I can for the people
that we serve in this province."
Deering says the dispute has
had an effect on his family, but "my family and I have reconciled
all this, and we are working together, we are united. And at
the end of the day we'll deal with whatever the final outcome
of this is. He says the case isn't affecting the day-to-day operations
of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary
Deering is also involved in
a legal dispute with the Constabulary's Insp. Connie Snow. She
wanted the Supreme Court to block Deering from being involved
in a review of her conduct.
Deering claims that Snow spread
false rumours about him and tried to undermine his authority
as chief of police.
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HARASSMENT ALLEGATIONS
IN LEGAL DOCUMENTS
ST. JOHN'S - A woman who claims
she was sexually harassed by the chief of the Royal Newfoundland
Constabulary has set out details of her allegations in a court
document.
Nicole Gosse's allegations
against Chief Richard Deering are contained in documents filed
with the Supreme Court of Newfoundland last week.
Gosse worked as the director
of information services with the Constabulary for three years.
In the documents, she claims Deering harassed her on 12 occasions:
he repeatedly asked her to invite him to dinner; Deering requested
several time that she join him on a trip to Corner Brook; and
he made inappropriate comments about her physique and appearance.
Gosse also alleges that during
a meeting of police managers, Deering suggested that Gosse could
wear only a cape to an upcoming police dinner. She states that
Deering later approached her while she was in her car, saying
he had been thinking a lot about the cape.
In her statement, Gosse says
she told Deering to go home.
The document also outlines
the actions Gosse says she took to deal with the alleged sexual
harassment, including speaking with both the director and manager
of human resources with the Department of Justice and the Constabulary's
lawyer. The allegations have not been proven in court.
Deering has yet to file a statement
of defence.
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CHIEF STAYS, MINISTER
ORDERS REVIEW
ST. JOHN'S - Justice Minister
Kelvin Parsons says his department is concerned about morale
within the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, but he won't ask
Chief Richard Deering to step aside. Deering faces two court
actions, one filed by a former employee and the other by a police
inspector.
The police union says the legal
problems are hurting officer morale and eroding public confidence
in the constabulary.
While Parsons isn't asking
Deering to leave, the minister has ordered a managerial review
to see if there are problems within management.
This week, Insp. Connie Snow
filed an application in the Supreme Court asking that Deering
not be allowed to participate in investigating allegations of
misconduct against her.
Snow also alleges Deering had
been biased and hostile toward her.
In a second legal action, Nicole
Gosse of Mount Pearl has complained that she was compelled to
quit her job as the constabulary's director of information services
when Deering started criticizing her.
She alleges Deering changed
his attitude toward her after she rebuffed his sexual advances.
Gosse also is suing the provincial
government and the police force, claiming both failed to protect
her against Deering's actions.
She maintains the department
should have more thoroughly checked Deering's background for
a history of sexual harassment before hiring him. Without responding
to the allegation, Parsons says his department checks into the
history of everyone it hires.
"Obviously, when you do
an interview process, you do check people's backgrounds. You
don't just pick people off the street to be your chief of police,"
Parsons says. "That's why you get resumes. That's why you
do interviews. That's why you check references."
Deering and the department
haven't filed legal responses in either case, and the allegations
haven't been heard in court.
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SECOND ACTION FILED AGAINST
POLICE CHIEF
ST. JOHN'S - Chief Richard
Deering of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary has been hit with
a second lawsuit.
In an application filed in
Supreme Court Monday, Insp. Connie Snow alleges Deering intimidated
her. She also claims the chief has been biased and hostile towards
her.
Snow asks that Deering not
be involved in investigations of her conduct on the job. The
application also seeks to have the chief discontinue two internal
investigations into allegations against her.
The case is scheduled for Supreme
Court on July 2. Paul Noble, the constabulary's lawyer, won't
comment on the matter while it's before the court. It's the second
set of allegations made against the police chief.
Last month, Nicole Gosse of
Mount Pearl complained that Deering had sexually harassed her.
Gosse claims she quit her job as the constabulary's director
of information services after Deering started criticizing her.
She alleges Deering's attitude
toward her changed after she rebuffed his sexual advances. Gosse
also is suing the provincial government and the police force,
claiming both failed to protect her against Deering's actions.
Deering hasn't been available
for comment on Snow's lawsuit, but after Gosse filed her action
his lawyer told reporters Deering planned to fight the accusations.
Neither case has been heard,
and the claims haven't been proven in court.
Joe Boland, president of the
Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Association, says the news of
a second legal action comes as a blow and a surprise.
Boland says says the allegations
have hurt morale. "I think this organization at the management
level has some major problems, and that someone has to intercede
here and correct what's gone on at that level," he says.
Boland, who says he fears the
public may lose confidence in the constabulary, wants the Justice
Department to get involved. Conservative Justice Critic Tom Rideout
says the allegations are part of a bigger problem.
"My sources tell me that
there's a significant amount of dissatisfaction, and discord
and personnel problems between the senior executive and the rank
and file," Rideout says. The Justice Department isn't commenting
on the lawsuits.
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Truth can never be
told so as to be understood, and not be believ'd. William Blake, The Proverbs of Hell
