Moose Jaw Police Chief Rick Bourassa concluded the dismissal of former Moose Jaw Police Service member Alan Murdock during a public meeting of the Moose Jaw Board of Police Commissioners on Oct. 20, stating that Murdock’s dismissal is now final and permanent.
Murdock was dismissed from the MJPS in June 2019, following an internal investigation that determined he had a history of behaviour that was unsuitable of a police officer.
In the public order of dismissal filed with the Saskatchewan Police Commission, Bourassa provided a list of 25 infractions that influenced his decision to fire Murdock, including a history of negligent policing, inappropriate sexual behaviour and aggression, evidence mishandling and unprofessionalism.
Murdock worked with the MJPS for nearly three decades, beginning in 1989, and held the rank of constable. The infractions listed in his dismissal occurred under the service of three different police chiefs, including current chief Bourassa, who took the position in 2013.
Details of infractions shocked investigators, said chief
Bourassa shared more details on the infractions mentioned in Murdock’s dismissal during the public board meeting, saying many of the incidents were shocking and upsetting to himself and those investigating Murdock’s actions.
The ensuing investigation by officials included incidents that dated back to the year that Murdock joined the MJPS, up until Murdock was formally dismissed from service in 2019.
In presenting these details, Bourassa invited four witnesses to share their personal experience with certain incidents, which would have been presented at the appeal hearing had it gone forward. These individuals included MJPS Supt. Rick McKenna, MJPS member Const. Murray Rice, a retired sergeant with the RCMP, and an MJPS member who was the victim of inappropriate sexual contact from Murdock in 2003.
The dismissal investigation was initially prompted in 2018 when the MJPS was investigating a case of mistaken identity brought to their attention by Brendan Olynik, a civilian analyst for the RCMP. Olynik was detained at the U.S. border due to a warrant for his arrest, issued wrongfully by Murdock during an assault investigation in Moose Jaw.
The MJPS determined Murdock’s actions were neglectful and placed him on suspension, issuing a dismissal less than a month later following a breach of his probationary measures.
Following the dismissal, Bourassa said there was an immediate influx of reports from the public regarding incidents and Murdock’s behaviour, prompting the MJPS to uncover more incidents of misconduct from the past.
Bourassa provided more details on the infractions included in that investigation and the subsequent dismissal, in chronological order, including:
- 1997: allegedly assaulted his step-son, with no charges laid at the time;
- 1998: used authority as a member of the service to harass a private citizen over a personal matter that occurred off-duty;
- 1999: unnecessary and excessive use of pepper spray on a private citizen while on duty;
- 2003: inappropriately touched a female MJPS member, which was not properly reported or disciplined at the time;
- 2007: allegedly assaulted another step-son, with no charges laid at the time;
- 2011: inappropriate text messages with a 15-year-old girl;
- 2012: photographic evidence stored on a personal computer at home; an investigation into the mishandling of evidence from the MJPS exhibit containment room that resulted in disciplinary action;
- 2016: first reports of misconduct were received;
- 2018: negligently issued the arrest warrant for Olynik; disobeyed a senior officer at the scene of a suicide in progress; evidence mishandling;
- 2019: turning off the in-car camera when responding to a serious vehicle collision involving impaired driving, resulting in the charge being successfully challenged in court; used the Moose Jaw Police’s record management system while on probation for personal reasons, disobeying a direct order from McKenna and failing to contain privacy breaches.
Bourassa also said that Murdock stored his loaded service firearm unsecured in his home, kept illicit drugs and alcohol in his home which was used by neighbourhood teens, and was in regular contact with a member of the public who provided information on drug activity in the city while under the impression it was being relayed to the appropriate MJPS personnel, when it was not.
Murdock has also been linked to several instances of mishandling evidence, including neglecting to include evidence in a homicide investigation in 2011 and failing to provide exhibits entrusted to his care to the MJPS, including items of child pornography and a cell phone with sexually explicit videos given to him by a victim, which are still missing.
Bourassa said a 2012 internal investigation found there are more than 100 pieces of evidence missing from the MJPS exhibit containment room, with many potentially linked to Murdock with video evidence of him entering the exhibit room at all hours of the day and removing items.
Other allegations listed involved repeatedly dismissing sexual assault and assault reports from victims and discouraging victims from filing a report, lying to MJPS members and to investigators during internal investigations, entering incorrect or untrue information in reports, and asking an RCMP member to issue him a fraudulent tax receipt for his own financial gain.
Bourassa said members within the MJPS also expressed a lack of trust in Murdock to properly perform his duties as an officer and maintain the public’s trust, and that he was regularly aggressive with MJPS members in the police station.
Murdock withdraws appeal just before hearing
Following his dismissal in June of 2019, Murdock filed an appeal of the decision and claimed the allegations made by the chief were false. Murdock then requested two adjournments of the scheduled public hearing, before rescinding his appeal just five days before the hearing was to begin on Oct. 6.
Murdock’s withdrawal of his appeal upholds the dismissal permanently, said Bourassa, and the expenses related to the dismissal total over $229,000, to be absorbed in the current police budget.
Bourassa said there were 43 witnesses prepared to present evidence of Murdock’s misconduct at the appeal hearing and that the MJPS had made clear it would not accept a conditional appeal withdrawal from Murdock under any circumstances.
Consequences yet to be determined; chief moving MJPS forward
While some of the infractions included in the dismissal did face disciplinary measures in the past, most did not, said Bourassa.
At present, no criminal charges have been laid in relation to the incidents outlined in the investigation, despite many infractions being possible criminal offences. Bourassa said the MJPS has passed along several referrals to the provincial judicial body in reference to instances discovered during the internal investigation.
“The Police Act requires me to further matters to the minister [of justice] or the attorney general that may constitute an offence, and I have made those referrals,” said Bourassa.
Bourassa was unable to comment on whether any charges are being pursued at this time but he did say that following the dismissal investigation, the MJPS conducted a full review and investigation into past cases that Murdock was involved in, including all calls to service involving sexual assault and assault and any evidence that Murdock was known to have handled.
“We reviewed all the calls to service that he responded to and reviewed all the reports, and have spoken with many of the complainants on that to ensure that things were done properly (and) we discovered some situations that required further investigations,” said Bourassa. “I will say that he laid very few charges in his career, so it was very easy to go back and review them. The bigger issue was not taking action and was taking inappropriate action.”
Bourassa also added that the investigation will continue with more referrals possible in the future if needed and encouraged anyone in the community with information on other infractions to contact the MJPS.
In addressing criticism that the MJPS was slow to act on Murdock’s behaviour, Bourassa said while the dismissal investigation officially began in 2018, he had begun collecting evidence to prove Murdock’s unsuitability as early as 2014 and issued a dismissal as soon as he felt he had enough evidence to do so.
He also said he couldn’t speak to the actions of the previous MJPS administration about discipline or lack thereof, or about whether a public inquiry into the investigation is necessary.
“I’m looking at this through the lens of what I know, and what I’ve learned, and I do not know what previous people knew or understood or the knowledge they had, so I can’t speak to the past,” said Bourassa. “All I know is what I dealt with here, and what I found is that police officers want to be professional.”
In terms of calling for a public inquiry to examine the dismissal and the investigation, Bourassa said that it would fall upon other provincial bodies to make that decision.
“My preference would have been for a full hearing to run its course, and let this information come out through that venue,” said Bourassa. “Today was really for the Board (of Police Comissioners) to understand my decision-making (and) this was the proper venue for them to hear what my actions were and the context they needed to be provided.”
Moving forwards, the MJPS said it will be improving the ways it holds members accountable, including maintaining and expanding legal counsel capacity, increasing quality assurance capacities, and introducing advanced professional standards training to senior investigators.
“People need to feel comfortable bringing these sorts of things forward, and we are very much investing in making sure that happens,” said Bourassa. “We have to continue to get better and improve ourselves, to make sure that what we’re policing with the consent of our community.”
Bourassa said there will also be additional steps taken within the MJPS to improve internal investigations of members.
“My job is to work towards public trust and accountability, through doing what I’ve done here and continuing to do this as we go forward in providing the services we provide,” said Bourassa.
