Statement from RNC Chief Joseph A. Boland

July 11, 2018

“In October of 2017 the RNC was contacted by the Crown Attorney’s Office in St. John’s regarding an issue with a traffic safety stop that had occurred on May 12, 2017. At that time, no public complaint or criminal complaint had been made in relation to this incident. Based on the evidence that was provided to the RNC as well as the circumstances and seriousness of the allegations against the officer, I requested that the Department of Justice and Public Safety engage an outside agency to conduct a thorough and non-biased investigation into the actions of the officer involved.

The Department of Justice and Public Safety referred the matter over to the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) in November of 2017 and the officer involved was placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of that Criminal investigation. In early November, the RNC also received a public complaint against the same officer from the individual involved in this traffic stop.

As a result of their investigation, ASIRT today charged Cst. Joe Smyth with Obstruction of Justice in relation to issuing a ticket for a traffic offense that did not occur. As this criminal investigation concluded with a criminal charge, Cst. Smyth has been suspended without pay until further notice. The RNC’s Professional Standards Section will carry out a separate investigation into the officer’s actions following the conclusion of all court proceedings.

I want to assure the public that misconduct by any RNC police officer is not acceptable and will not be tolerated within this police service. I will continue to hold any officer who does not represent our values accountable for their actions. As Chief I am very proud of the hardworking women and men of the RNC and believe that our employees embody our vision and values while serving the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.”

 

• Chief Joe Boland