When Cst. Drew Turner - off-duty cop in presence of others on-duty - in a rage assaults a woman and brutally pounds her into unconsciousness: Judge Richard Hewson - a man of spectacularly unsound reason and judgement - well, in this case for sure! - tut-tuts him to a month of R&R at home.
While there Turner - now a convicted criminal - continues to receive his pay. Whether this still includes the very generous bouquet of his perks - we are not told.
Since the end of his home-rest - be still, poor heart! - he's been on paid leave. Paid (for) what we also don't know.
For more detail see
Poor Judgement Hewson
5 Nov, 2015
below
On Thu, 21 Jan, 2016 - Turner submits his resignation from the Nelson cop-shop. As Chief Holland refuses to make this letter public - protecting his own: we are not told on what terms and when Turner will clear his locker.
If he leaves at the end of February: will he get paid - perks and all, the complete package - for another month of contributing absolutely nothing positive to Nelson? To then receive a regular-cop's severance-pay? The obligatory watch?
If he's gone at the end of January: how - if at all! - will that influence his final check?
If he's gone the day after his resignation - novel, one would think: how does that play-out financially for him?
Oh, decisions, decisions, decisions having to be made by our trusted Nelson Police Board (NPB).
References?
About his legal fees. Ostensibly they have been/will be paid by the City. Mention of this in the Star is unclear. It says:
The city paid Turner's legal fees but has declined to make the total amount public, as the police board hasn't yet decided whether it will seek reimbursement.
This makes little sense. First of all: never mind the total amount - it hasn't made any amount public. And who at the City paid from what fund and declined to let the tax-payer know?
So how can the NPB - not part of City Hall as such - decide whether or not to seek reimbursement of money they didn't pay? And if - for some screwy reason - they can (and care): what will their decision be based on, and when will it finally! be made?
If these fees - or part of them - haven't been paid yet: shouldn't now Citizen Turner's resignation alter the scenario to let him - solely - be the one responsible for paying? Which therefore then ought to be between him and his lawyer(s) and Court(-costs).
If all legal fees have been paid already: this certainly will be the time to seek reimbursement from him. If this whole process were logic-based. If.
Anyway - how does not informing the tax-payer connect with whether or not reimbursement will be sought? Unfortunately - seeking reimbursement from Mr. Turner wouldn't come to much: he's out of a job, with little chance of getting another one here - or anywhere - paying as well as this one.
These clearly substantial legal fees should have been dealt with by the all-and-ever-protective-of-their-own brotherhood of cops: he was a member of that secret-handshake bunch when he went on his rampage - let them handle the fall-out as well. Why should Turner be taken care of by City Hall - meaning the tax-payer - which/who has little sympathy with any of this!
How about reimbursing the City from the NPD budget? That'll learn 'em!
Some - reading this - may say why does he keep on keeping on so. The point made here: Nelson's crime-rate is very low; we rarely have violent crimes. Never one as brutal as that of Police Constable Drew Turner's: a man with Court-history, previously paid by the City as well! The only violent crime of this force in Nelson's memory committed by - a cop! And despite Judge Hewson going on about cops having to be held to a particularly high standard: Hewson doesn't, the City doesn't, the NPB doesn't, the cops' club doesn't. In fact, Turner has been cuddled by all since first charged, with money and down-time thrown at him from every angle.
Where were the women's groups here: where was the public outrage? Nobody! Nothing!
Oh, Nelson!
Imagine for a moment an "ordinary" guy had beaten this woman senseless in a rage - just imagine.
The least the community should be able to expect - rebuilding trust in the Nelson cop-shop, etc. - is transparency, accountability of key-players' participation in this nasty affair. Instead - all continue to show self-serving disregard - thus lack of respect - for the community.
The NPB - according to their responsibilities - is accountable to the community of Nelson! But never yet has been, sitting-out anything in comfy silence. Hello, Star/Daily?
The job of the media is not to protect the powerful from embarrassment.
Simon Jenkins
I'll say! The backbone of this blog!
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