Correction - May 2, 2018: This article was updated from a previous version that mistakenly said Const. Brant Derrick had been charged with perjury in relation to the arrest of Jason Arkinstall, and that an assault charge against Derrick had been dropped. In fact, Derrick was not charged with perjury and was found not guilty of the assault charge.

CALGARY — A Calgary Police Commission official in charge of investigating complaints against the city’s police force says she was ordered to “drop” questions about credibility concerns about two officers.

Shirley Heafey, who left her post as complaints director in December 2015, made the allegations Wednesday at a provincial inquiry into police handling of the now-infamous Arkinstall case, in which the officers were accused of excessive use of force during a 2008 arrest and of lying about it.

The inquiry is also examining whether or not there were any attempts to obstruct justice.

“Arkinstall was a problem across the board,” Heafey said.

“We had to tiptoe around, we were walking on eggshells. There was a fear this would grow into something … I was told to drop it.”

Heafey, who worked at the commission for nine years, also said the workplace culture there was “toxic” and “abusive,” and she was regularly excluded from meetings about her own portfolio. In general, she said, the commission was reluctant to question then-police chief Rick Hanson’s decisions, even though he was receptive to criticism.

“I was really concerned I wasn’t being allowed to do what the legislation told me to do,” Heafey said.

The case stemmed from the 2008 arrest of Jason Cyrus Arkinstall, a Hells Angel who was accused of threatening to kill two officers during a routine traffic stop. However, it didn’t come to light until 2011, when the judge in the case said the testimony of Calgary police officers Const. Brant Derrick and Sgt. Les Kaminski, wasn’t credible.

Kaminski and Derrick had said Arkinstall threatened to kill them. However, their testimony clashed with video of the arrest. Arkinstall walked on all charges.

The Calgary Police Service was aware of the judge’s criticism as of March 2011, the inquiry heard. Heafey first heard about it the following year, thanks to a letter from Tom Engel of Alberta’s Criminal Trial Lawyers Association (CTLA), who began complaining to various officials about police handling of the case in 2012.

Calgary police referred the incident to the province in 2014, following a complaint from Arkinstall’s lawyer — six years after the arrest and three years after the judge found the officers not credible.

In 2017, nine years after the incident, the province’s police watchdog, the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT), charged Kaminski — who is now the head of the Calgary police union — with perjury and assault, and Derrick with assault. The charges against Kaminski were dropped, and Derrick was found not guilty of the assault charge.

“This is neglect,” said Heafey, referring to the delays in the investigation.

The executive director of the commission during Heafey’s time there was Ellen Wright, who left the post three weeks ago.

Heafey said she voiced her concerns at the time, roughly between 2012 and 2014, but they were quashed. She said she didn’t report them in writing to any of her superiors because she didn’t have faith they’d be dealt with properly.

Wright’s replacement, Heather Spicer, said the commission respects and will co-operate with the inquiry’s process, but won’t comment on Heafey’s allegations until the probe is over.

In a written statement responding to questions about whether Heafey’s allegations played a role in Wright’s departure, the commission said Wright had its “full confidence” up until she left.

“The Commission continues to invest in and develop an inclusive and respectful workplace,” read the statement. “We welcome any opportunity to receive constructive feedback and improve policy and procedures.”

While the commission, a civilian body, does oversee aspects of the Calgary Police Service, it doesn’t have the power to take direct action against officers accused of crimes, as a body like ASIRT would.

However, Heafey said if she’d been allowed, she would’ve pressed Hanson for answers about police handling of the case — something she said could have influenced the outcome.

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The Calgary Police Service has said it won’t comment on the inquiry until it’s over. Hanson himself is among 15 witnesses expected to testify this week.

The board’s final report is due in August.

Correction - May 2, 2018: This article was updated from a previous version that mistakenly said Const. Brant Derrick had been charged with perjury in relation to the arrest of Jason Arkinstall, and that an assault charge against Derrick had been dropped. In fact, Derrick was not charged with perjury and was found not guilty of the assault charge.

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