On Monday an independent audience began in Saskatoon that will determine who police officers should be able to call friends.
Former sergeant. Robbie Taylor was fired in March due to a relationship with a man who was an associate of the Hells Angels biker gang. He appealed the dismissal and an independent mediator is listening to the facts of the dismissal of both sides.
Ronni Nordal is the mediator in the case, which will listen to multiple witnesses, including chief Cameron McBride.
Taylor’s lawyer Brian Pfefferle said that Taylor “was fired for having an association with an individual who supposedly has associations with other people who are members of Outlaw motorcycle clubs.”
“So the friends of friends are people with whom the police service does not want it to be associated. And we say that it is very remote and it is something that there should be no association concern there.”
Ashley Smith, the lawyer of the Saskatoon police service, said the problem is whether Taylor’s “undesirable association” made it appropriate to be a police officer.
She said that chief Cameron McBride concluded that Taylor was committed to the relationship “and that there was a loss of confidence and trust.”
Smith called the police gang analyst Matthew Matieshin, who met Taylor professionally for more than a decade and had doubts about his relationship with the motorcyclist associate. There is a publication prohibition that protects Taylor’s identity.
Matieshin said at the beginning of 2023 that he learned that the man was an associate of the Hells Angels through the surveillance of the bicycle gang in several events. Later that same year, Matieshin learned of a different officer, who also knew the man as associate of Los Angeles, that Taylor had tried to intervene when his friend was arrested at a traffic stop. Taylor told the officer that the man was his friend and asked him not to write a ticket.
The officer wrote the ticket and then contacted Matieshin.
“I thought it was inappropriate that was inserted into a traffic investigation.” Matieshin said.
“It was worrying and should be documented.”
Matieshin said that, a year later, Taylor entered his office and offered information about a “prospect” by Hells Angel, an individual under a trial period to become a member of a motorcycle club. Through this discussion, Taylor revealed that he had a friend who was a friend of cyclists.
Matieshin said Taylor did not hide the friendship, nor the man’s connections with the Hells Angels. In addition, Taylor said he had gone on vacation to Ireland with the associate and accepted an expensive watch as a gift.
The audience continues on Tuesday and is expected to run all week.
