A month after the Hamilton police suspend an officer while the service investigates their public support for white nationalist groups, an anti -racism organization says it warned the police eight months ago about the officer.
In August, the Hamilton Police Service (HPS) said it suspended const. Renato Greco while investigating what they said they were “disturbing” publications on social networks.
Those publications, which CBC Hamilton asked the police about After a reader’s advice, he included content that the officer was activated again from extremist groups, anti -immigrant messages and writings in support of a coup against the government, which dates back to at least five years.
At that time, the police said they were not aware of Greco’s behavior until CBC Hamilton informed them.
Now, the members of the Hamilton Anti-Racism Resources Center (Harrc) say they told the police about Greco’s connection with the extreme right in December.
Vehicle with diagolon stickers parked outside the station
Lyndon George, director of Harrc, wrote a letter in December to the Chief of Police of Hamilton, Frank Bergen, informed that community members had seen “a vehicle that shows a symbol associated with the Diagolon hatred group” parked outside the center of the center. He RCMP has labeled Diagolon an “extremist organization, similar to the militia.”
George shared images of the vehicle, which CBC has seen. They show a jeep with stickers on both sides of the back of the vehicle with the black and white dialog flag.
At that time, George did not know who owned the vehicle, but asked for an investigation into whether he was an officer, especially because he was parked several times in front of the station.
After the CBC Hamilton article about Greco this summer, Harrc says he looked for the car owner through the Ontario service and learned that he belonged to him. CBC Hamilton also verified the enrollment in the Ontario service and confirmed that the Jeep was registered in Renato Greco of the Niagara cataracts.
CBC Hamilton contacted Greco to comment, but did not receive an answer.
On Wednesday, HAARC launched an excerpt from George’s letter to Bergen along with an open letter that asks for independent investigation. “Only through transparency and independent scrutiny can the confidence of Hamilton’s diverse
HPS communities will be rebuilt, “said the letter.
Hamilton police confirm that he received the complaint in December and investigated it internally. The service said that he first notified the complaints of the law (LECA), that he supervises public complaints about the misconduct of police officers, said Hamilton police spokesman Jackie Penman, in an email.
“The agency determined that it did not reach the level of public interest to self -insist on an investigation into the matter. As such, it was treated as an internal investigation,” he said.
Penman did not answer questions about the state of that investigation, or what measures were taken after the previous internal investigation of the Hamilton Police.
“While we understand that there is interest in the result, the results of the investigation of December 2024 remain a labor issue and the details will not be disseminated,” said Penman.
Police say they were not aware of Greco’s posts before August
CBC Hamilton saw the letter from Leca to George, which indicated that the complaint would be sent to the Police Inspector (PIO). This organization is responsible for guaranteeing compliance with police laws and regulations.
CBC Hamilton asked the PIO if they received that complaint and if they investigated it but did not receive confirmation before the publication.
Hamilton police said they were not yet aware of any social media activity “related to Greco to CBC email in July, Penman said.
“As soon as we knew about publications on social networks, the member was suspended and the matter referred to another police service for investigation.”
Greco’s publications in X and Threads were public and, in their own name, until it was suspended and changed them to private. The very active X account rehabilitation publications that included racist stereotypes on marginalized groups, support for the second -children white nationalist group, which is to train for combat in Canada, and one about “White Genocide”, of a member of the Second Sons Supremacist White.
Hamilton police said after the suspension of Greco that the service “keeps all members with the highest standards of professionalism, behavior and impartiality. Any expression of points of view or support for groups that promote hate or discrimination is contrary to the values of our organization and our duty to serve all in our community.”
Harrc asks for an independent review of third parties
Harrc said that a third party, an independent civil review and investigation is necessary on how the police handled the initial complaint, given the Growing number of hate incidents informed by the police in the city and the growing presence of Active Suplemacist Clubs In Hamilton.
The organization said it will ask the Hamilton Police Services Board to commission a review by “external investigator with recognized experience in anti -racism, hate symbols and police supervision.”
When asked if HPS will support Harr’s call, Penman said that “Leca and Pio are independent civil agencies administered by civilians who are already aware of this matter.”
The case could establish a precedent for the police: expert
This case “will establish precedents in [HPS] For future officers, “said Jen Magnus, professor of the Police and Public Security Program at the University of Laurier, to CBC Hamilton.
Magnus is also a security consultant at the workplace who worked as a police officer for 14 years in Calgary, where he lives. Her husband is a member there. Magnus told CBC Hamilton that he was not surprised by the Greco case given Recent reports She has read about the extremism inside the ranks for the Canadian army.
It is important that workers can express themselves freely under the Charter of Canadian rights and freedoms, he said, but the conduct of the officers is reflected in their employers and can affect police relations with the communities, he said. “You don’t want to make other citizens of Canada feel insecure.”
When I worked in the police, “we knew we were police officers 365 days a year,” said Magnus.
Greco has been official in Hamilton since 2002, police said in August. A publication on the website of the General Governor of Canada said that he received the police extinguisher service medal in 2023, a standard recognition of 20 years of service.
Situation ‘sends a really negative message’ to the public: professor
Danielle McNabb, professor of Political Science at the University of Brock, said it is worrying to think of an officer with such opinions that responds to calls involving racialized people.
“Have … someone who has been used for a long time and then see that these publications were happening for years and years without consequences, I think that sends a really negative message to the public,” McNabb said.
“Thinking about this person who responds to calls involving racialized people … reinforces this message to private communities that the police are not there to serve them.”
Front burnerThe long history of extremism of the Canadian army
McNabb, who investigates the policy and administration of criminal justice, said there is a “blue wall of silence”, a tacit expectation that officers will protect each other at all costs.
“Taking into account how united and well -woven police officers tend to be among them, it is very difficult for me to imagine that none of the [Greco’s] The colleagues saw any of these problematic publications. So, what I think is the most likely story here is that no one within the police service felt they should inform it, “he said.
In general, he said, police services should proactively monitor members of the members before receiving complaints. And when the complaints enter, he said, the police must “do a better job when connecting to the public”, so that they can understand and trust the system.
The processes of complaints and civil supervision agencies are important to generate trust, Magnus agreed, adding that he believes that police and civilians should have anonymous ways of sharing tips or presenting complaints.
When asked, Hamilton’s police did not say if they have that line of advice.
This situation also increases the benefits of the police that diversify its ranks, McNabb said, pointing out Canada data statistics That shows 7 percent of municipal police officers, throughout the country, identified as part of a racialized group in 2023, compared to 26.5 percent of the population of Canada.
The local news data center data at the Metropolitan University of Toronto shows 24 percent Hamilton police officers were women from 2023.
