Prince Albert police lose confidence in chief amid investigation into toddler's homicide: association

The association representing police officers in Prince Albert says its members no longer have confidence in the city's police chief. 

The news comes amid growing tensions in the northern Saskatchewan city after the death of a 13-month-old boy and the alleged mishandling of the case by police. 

At a March 3 meeting of the Prince Albert Police Association, a member moved a vote of non-confidence in police Chief Jonathan Bergen, according to a news release from the association.

It says 92 of the 102 association's members voted, with 95 per cent saying they no longer had confidence in the police chief.

The vote occurred before Bergen suspended the two police officers involved in the high-profile alleged homicide of 13-month-old Tanner Brass. 

He issued a statement Thursday saying the pair had been suspended with pay.

The news of the officers' suspensions comes a month after Tanner Brass was found dead at a residence in Prince Albert.

On the morning of Feb. 10, officers responded to a complaint of a family dispute and Tanner's mother, Kyla Frenchman, was transported to police cells.

Five hours later, police went to the same residence for reports of a homicide involving a child. That's when officers found Tanner.

His father, Kaij Brass, has been charged with second-degree murder.

A public outcry followed, with calls for the officers involved in the investigation to be held accountable. 

First Nations leaders have said that the investigation was tainted by racism and that when officers first arrived on the scene, they believed Frenchman's actions and behaviour were alcohol-related and arrested her. 

In fact, the mother and child were fleeing domestic violence, the leaders said.

Police did not perform a welfare check on Tanner when they went to the residence in the morning, nor was the Ministry of Social Services brought in for Tanner's protection, they said.

The First Nations leaders have called for an inquest, and for Bergen and the officers involved in the case to be fired.

The Saskatchewan Public Complaints Commission, which investigates and reviews complaints against municipal police, is looking into how police handled the case.

The police association said it has confidence in that investigation, which is ongoing.

On Thursday, Bergen said in a statement that the commission's preliminary findings and the planned scope of the investigation gave him the information he needed to suspend the two officers involved, pending the outcome of the full investigation.

The statement also said the conduct of three officers who were in various supervisory roles over the course of the incident is being investigated.

'Full confidence' in chief: police board

The Prince Albert Police Association says the non-confidence vote highlights a tension between Bergen and rank-and-file officers that has been growing for years. 

A previous non-confidence vote was held in June 2020, with more than 70 per cent of members voting that they had no confidence in the chief, the association said.

"He refuses to hear the opinions of others or engage in face-to-face communication with members of the service," the association's president, Josh Peterson, said in a news release.

"Instead of leading through teaching, he relies on ruling by fear."

Peterson says the association also has very little confidence in the Board of Police Commissioners, describing them as "not in tune with the realities in the police station." 

The chair of that board issued a news release late Friday afternoon, saying "it is an understatement to say that the board as a whole is disappointed in Josh's approach and comments."

"Our police service and the work it does relies on standards of professionalism and good judgment that we are concerned are not demonstrated by Josh or his executive in this manner of conducting themselves," said board chair Darcy Sander, an education administrator and former police officer.

The police association has demanded a meeting with Sander's board and had a conference set for March 14.

However, the two sides are now at loggerheads, as they could not come to an agreement over unspecified preconditions for the meeting. 

That's prompted the association to go public with the non-confidence vote, in an attempt to pressure the board to meet with officers, Peterson said in the news release.

"They gave us no choice but to turn to the public to ask for help and to let them know just how bad things have become at their police service," Peterson said. 

Prince Albert Mayor Greg Dionne, who is vice-chair of the police board, said in its Friday news release that confidence votes are strategies from the past, and have proven ineffective.

Dionne said the board prefers a "respectful and professional approach."

"Our police officers have important work to do, and as volunteer representatives of our community, our board has full confidence in Chief Bergen's commitment to uphold strong professional standards and accountability in our police service," the mayor said.