Allegations of sexism in the Delta Police Department have prompted Chief Jim Cessford to order a review into the way officers were selected to help Vancouver police quell the Stanley Cup riot.
Cessford says he ordered a formal review in mid-November after receiving a complaint from the Delta Police Association.
"The minute I got that letter I called for a Police Act investigation," Cessford said Friday. "We are doing a review on it to find out why we didn't send more female police officers."
Cessford said he first became aware of gender-bias complaints the night of the riot on June 15.
After the Vancouver Canucks lost the final game to the Boston Bruins, hockey fans - many of them emboldened by alcohol - went on a rampage, setting cars on fire and looting stores.
The Vancouver Police Department sought help from other police departments around the region to help them deal with the mayhem. Scores of people were injured that night and over 100 people were arrested.
Of the roughly 50 Delta police officers that were sent downtown, two were female.
Cessford noted that a senior female officer was in charge of selecting officers for riot duty.
"She created the teams," he said.
Cessford said staffing for that night was a delicate balancing act because Delta police officers were also jointly patrolling with Surrey RCMP the intersection of Scott Road and 72 Avenue, which had become a gathering spot for celebrating hockey fans locally.
He said other officers were on standby for duty in Vancouver but weren't sent there because VPD didn't ask for further help. Some of these officers and "not necessarily female" weren't happy about it.
"The expectation was that they were going to be deployed but they weren't," he said.
The Now was unable to reach the Delta Police Association.
Cessford said he doesn't want to pre-judge the findings of the review aimed determining whether there was gender-bias in the selection process, although he offered this comment: "If they made a distinction that night, I would be concerned about that."
