Monday, June 30, 2008

Border Patrol Training Academy criticized by Union for background investigation flaws



By Arthur H. Rotstein
Associated Press

The Border Patrol agents' union is criticizing hiring and training shortcuts they say the agency is making as it seeks to double in size before President Bush leaves office.

The union says the Border Patrol has dropped minimum educational requirements and is deferring background investigations for new hires, among other changes they say are hurting the agency.

The National Border Patrol Council said in a report released June 24 that the patrol recently dropped educational requirements that called for applicants to have at least a high school diploma or a high school equivalency certificate.
"This relaxation of standards is a matter of concern," the report said.

President Bush announced a crash hiring program to add 6,000 more Border Patrol agents in 2006, with the goal of bringing the number of sworn agents to 18,000 by the end of this year.

The council's report noted that there was anecdotal and other evidence suggesting a small percentage of new hires had only middle-school reading comprehension and writing abilities.

It deplored that as "completely unacceptable," particularly where documents that are poorly written could end up "in miscommunication of critical information and botched prosecutions."

Border Patrol spokesman Lloyd Easterling in Washington said the agency takes agents' concerns seriously, but also said neither criticism is a major issue and suggested that neither was correct.

He said the Border Patrol never has had a high school diploma or equivalency requirement. The requirement was purposely taken out after World War I to allow returning soldiers to apply, he said.

He said only 32 of more than 16,000 agents currently do not have a high school diploma or its equivalent, while nearly 12,000 have taken some college courses or graduated, he said.

T.J. Bonner, president of the union, said the agency's academy in Artesia, N.M. is no longer testing candidates' writing skills.

"We have had some of the instructors share some of the work product, some of the memos that new recruits have given; it's appalling," Bonner said. "They can't put a coherent sentence together and we say we're going to rely on this individual to write an arrest report and rely on that for a prosecution? Good luck."

Easterling said recruits go through the academy to learn law enforcement, physical, report-writing and other techniques. "More times than not they're inexperienced," he said.

"Report writing, sign-cutting, things like that, those are things they're going to learn in the field with job experience" and from senior agents.

The council also took the agency to task for deferring background investigations of applicants and settling for a criminal history check and polygraph.

Easterling also said that detailed background investigations are begun before candidate agents begin going through the academy.

The union report said thorough background investigation of new hires' character and history should be done before hiring.

"This is usually one of the first areas where shortcuts are taken when law enforcement agencies undergo rapid expansion," the report said. "Unfortunately, the Border Patrol has also succumbed to that pressure."

The report also said the agency has been using contractors to do the reviews for the past decade, rather than FBI special agents, leading to some corrupt agents sipping into the ranks.

Easterling defended the process and the contractors. He said the initial background investigations for the Border Patrol are the same as for any national law enforcement candidate. Even more detailed checks are done as the agent goes through the academy.

"You never can eliminate the possibility of error in any portion of the employment process," Easterling said, acknowledging that a few bad apples have made it through the academy and into the field before being discovered.

Bonner also said that several of the people involved in gathering information for the report had "a far-reaching discussion" with Border Patrol Chief David Aguilar in March.

"He promised to look into some of the concerns we brought up," Bonner said.

Posted by Pebi Services President Tyra Hearns

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Serious Problems found in police applicants background investigation



By Mary Beth Sheridan
Washington Post Staff Writer

One was arrested as a teenager for armed robbery. Another was allegedly involved in an arson. A third admitted having sold marijuana.

The 15 recruits dismissed by the U.S. Capitol Police this week had some serious problems in their backgrounds, according to new details provided by police and congressional sources. The fact that the recruits were hired anyway, and only removed after they had completed several weeks of training, has roiled the force and led to congressional inquiries.

The recruits are contesting their dismissals, a congressional source said. Some are maintaining they only committed minor offenses, such as stealing a street sign while attending college. Officials have said they will fire recruits who do not resign or appeal.

Capitol Police have yet to explain how the recruits could have been hired and sent to a training academy in Georgia despite failing employment criteria such as background investigations and psychological exams. The reasons for the lapse are under investigation.

The U.S. Capitol Police labor committee was so upset by the revelations that it debated holding a no-confidence vote Thursday night on Chief Phillip D. Morse. The committee, part of the Fraternal Order of Police, decided to hold off and instead conduct a poll during the next week on officers' opinions of the chief. The recruits are not union members.

"Clearly, something went wrong when a police department doesn't know about possible felony violations in someone they just hired," said Michael J. Detorie, an officer who brought up the no-confidence motion. He said that while the chief had been strict about holding veteran officers accountable for mistakes, he "has yet to acknowledge an error or accept any responsibility. . . . It just rubs everybody the wrong way."

Morse said in a statement that he valued his relationship with the labor committee's chairman, Matt Tighe. "I find him to be someone I can work with to overcome challenges in order to meet our shared goal of moving the U.S. Capitol Police forward and ensuring the best for our officers," Morse said, adding that he planned to meet soon with the union leader.

Legislators have expressed dismay over the hiring blunder, and the Senate Rules Committee has scheduled a hearing next month to examine the case. But key lawmakers and congressional staff appeared to still have confidence in Morse.

"It seems they're taking appropriate actions to deal with the mess-up," said Rep. Michael E. Capuano (D-Mass.), chairman of the House subcommittee on Capitol security, which has held two closed-door sessions on the issue.

Terrance W. Gainer, the Senate sergeant-at-arms, who helps oversee the Capitol Police, said Morse is "a dedicated professional."

"He loves the department, and he's trying to do the right thing," said Gainer, who once led the force.

The Capitol Police human-resources director, Jennifer McCarthy, has been put on administrative leave for her part in the hirings. While she had been under pressure to resign, she apparently has not done so.

Capitol Police have declined to give details about what disqualified the recruits, but according to police and congressional sources, some had committed serious offenses. One recruit, for example, was arrested as a juvenile for armed robbery, according to the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the issue. The record in the case is sealed, and the outcome was unknown, the sources said.

Three others admitted criminal activities for which they had not been arrested, including setting fire to construction equipment and selling marijuana, the sources said. The sources did not provide names or further details.

Labor attorney John Berry, who is filing appeals for seven of the dismissed recruits, said that under Capitol Police regulations, the chief is supposed to review candidates' applications and disclosures before they are offered jobs. It "begs the question of whether or not he did his job," he said.

Berry said some of his clients had committed minor infractions.

One of the recruits, for example, was part of a group of 15 college students who stole a street sign, Berry said. The student was charged with a misdemeanor that was later expunged from his record, he said, adding that the recruit had acknowledged the incident before being hired.

The same recruit told Capitol Police officials that as a 13-year-old, he had been with a cousin who was getting high by inhaling the gas in a whipped-cream can. The young man tried to mimic his cousin, "but was too clumsy to do it," Berry said, adding that the recruit had never used illegal drugs. The incident was listed in the recruit's dismissal letter.

"If every person were held accountable for their actions as 13-year-olds and disallowed from job opportunities because of those actions, there would be a paucity of employment in the world," Berry told The Washington Post in an e-mail.

Some recruits were dismissed for non-criminal issues. They included failing a psychological evaluation and providing false or misleading information during the hiring process, officials said.

Gainer said Capitol Police applicants' names are typically run through several databases to check for criminal records. In addition, officials do background checks, examining the applicants' school and work records and interviewing neighbors, he said.
For the original story posted here at this blog, go to HERE

Posted by Pebi Services President Tyra Hearns

Friday, June 27, 2008

Police recruits dismissed over flawed background investigation plan legal action



By Jordy Yager

At least five of the 15 recently dismissed U.S. Capitol Police recruits are planning to challenge the department’s decision to remove them. The recruits were asked on Monday to resign because of a departmental hiring process error in which criminal background investigations, psychological evaluations and complete reviews were not fully conducted.

The five recruits have asked John Berry, former general counsel to the Capitol Police’s union, to represent them as they appeal Morse’s decision to terminate their probationary employment. “The reality is they gave up their jobs and they’re not going to get another job in this area because someone’s going to view them as tainted,” Berry said. “It’s almost impossible. And all because people were incompetent.”

Several weeks into their training program, the recruits were asked to return to Washington, D.C., from the training center in Georgia after it was revealed that Capitol Police’s human resources department had hired the individuals without complete background investigations. Deputy Chief Matthew Verderosa replaced former human resources director Jennifer McCarthy earlier this month, and oversaw the proper vetting of the new recruits.

Fifteen did not meet the department’s hiring standards. The reasons for the recruits’ terminations vary, but include juvenile criminal records and minor traffic offenses, according to a Capitol Police source. Senate Sergeant at Arms Terrance Gainer, a member of the Capitol Police Board, said the problem was not that the recruits attempted to hide their pasts. It was that the human resource department bypassed information that should have been scrutinized.

“There’s nothing the department learned during the course of its investigation that wasn’t known in the file. What is obvious is that people in [human resources] didn’t follow the rules,” Gainer said. As a result, the 15 recruits were dismissed Monday by Morse. His decision was upheld by the Capitol Police Board, but was condemned Tuesday not only by Berry, but by Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.).

“I have great skepticism about hiring people, making them quit their jobs and then saying, ‘Whoops,’ ” Norton said. Berry pointed out that under U.S. law, Capitol Police Chief Philip Morse cannot hire or terminate any employee without first getting the approval of the Capitol Police Board, the House Administration Committee and the Senate Rules Committee.

“The Senate Rules Committee and the House Administration Committee can say, ‘No, we do not approve your recommendation and I’m sorry, they need to start work,’ ” Berry said. “The members of the Security subcommittee have been kept apprised of the situation, and have confidence that the chief will take the appropriate actions,” said Salley Collins, spokeswoman for the House Administration Committee’s GOP leadership.

Gainer said the recruits were dismissed because of information that came up in the new background investigations. “[The recruits] may have initially been untruthful about their information and then eventually become truthful or they acknowledged things that should have been automatic disqualifiers or they had problems in their psychological background which should have prohibited their hiring,” Gainer said.

Gainer said Morse is trying to give the recruits a second opportunity by giving them a chance to appeal his decision. Gainer said Morse is doing this because the mistake originated within the department. “What the chief is trying to do and the [Capitol Police] Board supports is listen, this is a very unique set of circumstances, people did make life-changing decisions and they’re going to be left hanging here,” Gainer said.

“Chief [Morse] gave the recruits an opportunity to counter or refute or offer something in mitigation which might change his mind and the circumstances upon which he made his decision.”

Posted by Pebi Services President Tyra Hearns

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Housing crisis making Provo Utah landlords evaluate need for background investigations



By Jens Dana
Deseret News

All prospective tenants, excluding Brigham Young University students, may have to submit to criminal background checks before renting property in the city.
With an aim toward reducing crime, the Provo City Council is considering a proposed measure that mandates landlords conduct background investigations for every adult tenant who applies to rent a unit. Landlords can complete that background investigation either by criminal background investigation or by verifying the potential renter is "a student at an institution of higher education which maintains a code of conduct."

While the ordinance doesn't specifically exempt BYU students from criminal background checks, some council members say it reads that way because BYU is the only local university with a code of conduct. Councilwoman Cindy Clark said the ordinance sets an uneven playing field.

"You're requiring this of students that aren't at BYU," she said. "So BYU gets sort of preferential treatment."

But Councilman George Stewart said it's not unfair treatment because BYU already places extensive requirements on landlords seeking BYU approval.

"BYU has a very stringent approval process," he said.

City Council attorney Neil Lindberg said the ordinance doesn't favor BYU because students at other academic institutions could opt for verifying their academic status if those institutions implemented codes of conduct.

BYU spokeswoman Carri Jenkins declined to comment on the ordinance, saying she would need more information.

Aside from background investigations, landlords would be required to meet other guidelines or risk losing their rental license. Those include:

• Using lease forms allowing eviction of tenants for criminal activity.

• Undergoing biannual training conducted by the Provo Police Department to learn to recognize and reduce criminal activity.

• Provide proof to the city they conducted tenant background checks, used a complying lease agreement and completed biannual training to obtain their rental dwelling license application.

Some property managers expressed concern about being compelled to complete background investigations for all tenants applying for rental units. But Utah Apartment Association executive director Paul Smith said it should be the "common business sense" thing to do. Harman Property Management Group, which operates more than 100 rental units in Provo and Orem, performs background checks on all potential tenants, regardless of school status, property manager Pete Harradine said. He also said they've been occasionally surprised by what has come up on some students' background checks.

"You can be a good student, but a bad tenant," he said.

The ordinance is fashioned after other cities' efforts to reduce crime, Smith said. Police and fire departments receive about 40 percent more calls for assistance from rental dwelling areas than owner-occupied areas. That translates into costs cities often offset through additional fees on rental dwelling units. For example, Smith said, Ogden used to levy a $156 fee per single-family rental unit.

In 2005, Ogden implemented a program to reduce crime through offering a $143 discount on the fee if the landlord conducts background investigations on tenants, immediately evicts tenants who cause problems, complies with zoning law and enrolls in crime prevention training.

In the first year, Ogden reported a 12 percent drop in crime in its rental dwelling areas, Smith said. West Valley City also has a similar program and has reported a 30 percent decline in calls for service from police and fire departments.

Smith declined to comment on the Provo ordinance's qualifier for students who attend a university with a code of conduct. He also said he thinks the city should offer incentives to landlords to complete background checks, like Ogden, rather than mandate them.

"I don't think it's appropriate to just have a requirement for background checks," he said.

Stewart said the ordinance remains a work in progress and the council still needs to decide what level of crime would authorize landlords to evict tenants. Though Stewart supports background checks, he's not sure they should be mandatory.

"There's still some refining that needs to occur," he said.

The City Council will discuss the proposed ordinance at its next work meeting in early July.

Posted by Pebi Services President Tyra Hearns

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Background Investigation of Missouri police applicant uncovers child pornography



Leonard J. Cook, Jr. pleaded guilty to on federal charges of possession of child pornography, United States Attorney Catherine L. Hanaway, Phelps County Prosecuting Attorney Courtney George and Rolla Police Chief Mark Kearse has said.

“People who collect child pornography create a demand for these images,” said Hanaway. “This office, with the help of Prosecuting Attorney George and Chief Kearse, will continue to find and prosecute people who victimize children.”

Chief Kearse stated that this investigation began when Cook applied for a police officers position with his department and during the background investigation the RPD discovered the possible child pornography issues.

“We then asked for assistance with the MSHP and (all the other agencies that got involved). I’m very happy with all the cooperation between the agencies that were involved to get to a guilty plea,” Kearse said.


“It would have been very unfortunate to law enforcement if he would have made it through the process and became an officer. Also a special thanks to U. S. Attorney Hanaway for following up and prosecuting this case,” he said.

“This kind of behavior is not tolerated in our community and it absolutely will not be tolerated by law enforcement officers sworn to serve and protect our citizens,” George said.

On Sept. 24, 2007, Cook allowed law enforcement officers to seize his home laptop computer and hard drive. A forensic examination found child pornography stored within the computer hard drive, including within the Dell laptop computer. Some of these images depicted minors under the age of 12 engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and some involved material that portrayed sadistic or masochistic conduct or other depictions of violence.


Cook, 31, of Rolla, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to one felony count of possession of child pornography. He appeared Thursday before United States District Judge Carol E. Jackson. Cook now faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000, when he is sentenced on Aug. 29.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood.

In February, 2006, the Department of Justice launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.

Posted by Pebi Services President Tyra Hearns

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Applicant process explained for many civil service openings


By Test Ready Pro

Background investigations typically happen after you've applied, been screened during the application process, are interviewed and are then assessed. This often where applicants with a lack of volunteer involvement, post secondary education or work consistency get turned down. If you're competitive enough you will be put through to the background investigation portion. Some services will just put you through their background when you're successful with interviews however, some will first assess your application/resume and make a decision from there compared against other applicants who are also waiting for their background investigation. If selected to move on to the background investigation, a specific investigator will be assigned to your check, they will check with your school, volunteer, work and personal character references. Now, keep in mind you've offered these references but at anytime you could receive a call saying that you need to supply extra references as the ones you've provided could not be contacted or any variety of issues that could occur. Also this is the time when your pre-background questionnaire is drawn upon for reference against traffic accidents, tickets, criminal charges etc. Typically they take four weeks but can take as little as two weeks. Problems with the length of your background investigation occur if you were not born in Canada, have studied outside of Canada or lived abroad.

Letters of reference are great for this process because you know exactly what the person who wrote the letter feels about you. Letters of reference can even be from your friends/personal character reference. Letters of reference are great to bring along with your during your early interview stages, put them in your portfolio along with your OACP COR, other certificates/awards. I highly recommend having letters of reference written specifically to the job you're applying for, either "I have no hesitations in recommending ______ for a career with the _________ Police Service."

A quick note about references: Don't just assume that because someone agrees to writing you a letter of reference or agrees to be a reference that they will give you a good reference. Letters of reference in sealed envelopes intended only for the recipient can be bad news if you're not sure that the reference writing the letter is absolutely happy with you. Also, make sure you references are available, because they write a letter doesn't mean they're off the hook.

If you don't have any letters of reference, dig up your old bosses, current bosses, teachers etc. and have them write something simple. Make sure they include the date, their name, mailing address and a phone where they can be reached. If they're having a hard time writing one or don't know what to do, use google to search reference letter form generators or simply "how to write a letter of reference."

Background checks include credit checks and it's important that you take the responsibility to use the resources out there to check your credit score and determine if it needs to be improved upon.



Posted by Pebi Services President Tyra Hearns

Monday, June 23, 2008

New Zealand writer enlightens readers on needs for background investigations



By Gill South

In a tight labour market, it can be tempting to hire someone who can start as soon as possible, without doing a thorough background investigation of their references, says Peter Sherwin, New Zealand spokesman for Grant Thornton, which recently published a survey on undiscovered fraud in New Zealand private companies.

Some people are lax when they take someone on. "It's, 'Oh yeah, I know that firm, when can you start?"'

And some of us may have grown up with the idea that it was fine to "massage the facts" when writing our resumes. Once we had our foot in the door, it wouldn't matter any more; we'd just work hard and prove they were right to hire us.

But these days, embroidering details of your employment history is not a smart move. Increasing numbers of companies are using what are called pre-employment background screening organizations - companies that are trained to root out the anomalies in people's employment histories. As a result, you are unlikely to get offered the job - and may suffer some embarrassment as well. If there's a suggestion that you have blatantly lied about a key factor, like your qualifications, it can even lead to police investigation, as in the admittedly extreme case of Immigration Service head Mary Anne Thompson.

New Zealand companies are, like others around the world, taking recruitment more seriously in a market where human capital is so precious.

What they want to check is: has this person delivered in their previous jobs and what will they deliver in the future? Hence the increasingly common use of psychometric checking and professional reference checking. As well as employment history and qualifications,these companies look at people's integrity and honesty, and financial backgrounds. Have they ever been bankrupt? Perhaps not the best life history for a chief financial officer.

And a tip for job-seekers: make sure your past employers really are fans of yours. When checking references,quite frequently the employer will say: "They're not that great."

You might assume that background check companies are used just for top management but they may actually be working right across the board, from the receptionist to the general manager for some companies.

Even if the person is reasonably well known to the management, they are still using background check companies. executive boards don't "want any surprises". That's why there is a procedure in place.

Companies prefer to find out about a problem, rather than have a journalist discover the issue.

Be warned about changing your story or reinventing yourself when you go for a new job. The problem in New Zealand, of course, is that if you have blotted your copybook, you can never escape. Background Investigations are very important for people who have "access to the cheque book", such as chief executives, chief operating officers and chief financial officers.

Some common problem areas, such as the person's behaviour in the workplace, are often not to be found anywhere on a resume and those are the things that can make someone a poor fit. Do they use intimidating tactics in the office? Do they regularly slope off home at 4.30 to go to a "meeting"?

Posted by Pebi Services President Tyra Hearns

Sunday, June 22, 2008

FBI assistant director William Hooten responds in Washington Post editorial letter to articles posted at this blog


ARTICLES FROM THIS BLOG RELATED TO MR. HOOTEN'S LETTER CAN BE FOUND HERE AND HERE

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

The June 14 editorial "The Name Game" told readers only half the story.

The editorial implied that the FBI is, through indifference, "punishing immigrants" by taking too long to complete some background checks for the Department of Homeland Security.

For years, the FBI did this job with great efficiency. We ran a computer check to see whether a person had been the named subject of an FBI investigation. After Sept. 11, 2001, however, the then-Immigration and Naturalization Service resubmitted 2.7 million names to be rechecked on a much broader criterion: whether they had been referenced in a negative manner in an FBI file.
From a processing standpoint, this meant that the FBI was required to review many more files in response to each individual background check request. This sometimes requires tracking down paper files across the country and overseas, or interviewing agents about current and old cases.

This avalanche, and the much deeper research required, created a backlog that no agency could have dispatched quickly. Even so, FBI employees complete almost 90 percent of these checks on time and have substantially reduced the number of pending Homeland Security checks this year.
While files containing possible derogatory information are found in less than 1 percent of Homeland Security requests, it is important to recall that it only took 19terrorists to kill 3,000 people. We take these checks very seriously.
We agree that some people were not well served by this process, and we continue to work hard to fix that. But we believe the other half of the story matters, too.

WILLIAM L. HOOTON
Assistant Director

Posted by Pebi Services President Tyra Hearns

Canada RCMP official suggests stricter background investigations for Parliment Members


Maxime Bernier arrives to be sworn in as the new Minister of Foreign Affairs accompanied by Julie Couillard during a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on in this Aug 14, 2007 file photo. (The Canadian Press)


By Daniel Leblanc
Globe and Mail

Background investigations on cabinet ministers could be improved by expanding them to include spouses and family members, an RCMP official indicated Wednesday.

In his second appearance before the House committee on public safety, RCMP Assistant Commissioner Raf Souccar was guarded in his comments, but he told MPs the current background investigations could be beefed up.

“The process is what it is. If it is not the right process, it has to be changed, and government has to make that decision,” Assistant Commissioner Souccar said. “Can this [process] be improved? I'm sure it can.”

Assistant Commissioner Souccar and Bob Paulson, the assistant commissioner for national security, were under fire over the RCMP's handling of the case of former foreign affairs minister Maxime Bernier, who recently dated a woman with ties to men with criminal backgrounds.

The opposition is concerned that the RCMP never raised a red flag about Mr. Bernier's ex-girlfriend, Julie Couillard, with the government's top bureaucrats at the Privy Council Office.

Assistant Commissioner Paulson said he noticed Ms. Couillard with Mr. Bernier last August at a swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall. However, the RCMP had no responsibility to conduct further background investigations on her or any other minister's spouse.

“At the time that I saw her, I had none of that knowledge [about Ms. Couillard's past] and didn't make that connection,” Assistant Commissioner Paulson said.

In 1998, according to court records, the RCMP ordered a surveillance operation on Ms. Couillard's home as part of a drug investigation.

Assistant Commissioner Souccar pointed out that the RCMP have no responsibility to look at the immediate family or the people surrounding a potential or current cabinet minister.

“We don't go around and do spot checks on ministers or anybody that is subject to a pre-appointment check to determine if they have anybody in their life … who has had a questionable past,” he said.

Assistant Commissioner Souccar said that future changes to the screening process are in the hands of the government, and will depend on the extent to which ministers “are willing to expose themselves.”

During Wednesday's hearing, opposition MPs criticized Assistant Commissioner Souccar for refusing to tell them last week whether the RCMP informed the Privy Council Office about Ms. Couillard's past. The PCO, however, later acknowledged that it had never received information on Ms. Couillard from the RCMP.

Assistant Commissioner Souccar said the PCO warned him that it was about to make public that information last week, although he did not see a reason to do it.

“I had some difficulty understanding the need to go public with the statement indicating that we had not contacted them. They nevertheless chose to do that, and it's their right to do that,” he said.

Two days ago, the Prime Minister's national security adviser, Margaret Bloodworth, said that Mr. Bernier cleared a full background investigation by the RCMP and CSIS just weeks before allegations of missing documents led to his resignation from cabinet.

Ms. Bloodworth stated that while she had read allegations surrounding Ms. Couillard in the newspapers, she has no evidence to suggest what is true or not true.

Assistant Commissioner Souccar said he has obtained new information about Ms. Couillard in the past week, but he refused to say whether the RCMP are investigating the matter.

Ms. Couillard and Mr. Bernier have refused to appear before the committee.

Posted by Pebi Services President Tyra Hearns