VICTORIA — British Columbia's police complaint commissioner has decided not to investigate accusations made by a Vancouver Island mayor about the conduct of municipal officers.
Saanich Mayor Richard Atwell made national headlines in January when he questioned the installation of spyware on his work computer and alleged he was stopped by police four times on suspicion of drunk driving.
Atwell also said he would ask the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner to investigate how details of a Dec. 11, 2014 domestic dispute became public and were released to a Victoria newspaper.
Privacy Commissioner Elizabeth Denham sided with Atwell in March over the spyware, ruling the municipality violated privacy rights by installing the surveillance software.
Deputy police-complaint commissioner Rollie Woods says his office did not handle Atwell's complaint about the police stops.
Woods says the office also decided not to investigate the leak to the newspaper because it didn't meet the definition of misconduct under the Police Act.
He says the office considers the issue concluded, although an appeal could be filed with the B.C. Supreme Court asking for a judicial review.
Atwell admitted to an extramarital affair after the Victoria Times Colonist reported on its front page that police responded to a domestic-dispute call where he was present with a woman and her husband.
He was elected last November, defeating the former mayor who had served in office for 18 years.
