Final testimonies and arguments appealing the dismissal of a Saskatoon police officer for his friendship with someone associated with a notorious biker gang were heard Monday.
Former Sgt. Robbie Taylor was fired in March for what Saskatoon Police Chief Cam McBride previously said was due to his friendship with a Hells Angels associate not aligning with his role as a police officer.
At the appeal hearing on Monday, hearing officer Ronni Nordal heard two character witnesses share their experiences with Taylor and detailed his help in their recoveries from substance abuse over the years.
Police lawyer Ashley Smith then presented her final submissions, questioning if Taylor’s relationship with the associate impeded his ability to be a fair officer.
The name of Taylor’s friend is protected under a publication ban.
Smith went on to detail the extent of Taylor’s friendship with the associate, which included loaning vehicles and receiving gifts in the form of flights and vacations, while Taylor knew of his friend’s association with the gang.
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The police lawyer also argued that Taylor knew the police code of ethics, which lays out avoiding any conflict of interest, and continued the relationship despite asking his friend to remove himself from being associated with the gang.
One of Taylor’s defence lawyers, Brian Pfefferle, argued in the hearing that a good officer requires empathy, which is something Taylor was showing through his friendship.
The defence also questioned the fairness of the police investigation, raising concerns about the investigators’ decision not to include a memo in the disclosure from the former police chief of a 2023 traffic stop incident that Taylor tried to intervene in, when another officer was giving his friend a ticket.
“They responded quite aggressively, saying that there’s no previous investigation, that one doesn’t exist,” Pfefferle told reporters after the hearings on Monday.
“It served the purpose, frankly, of misleading Sgt. Taylor into thinking that it didn’t go up the chain of command, only to find out during the hearing that it did go up the chain of command.“
Along with Taylor’s reinstatement, the defence is asking for back pay to make up for his lost wages, as well as $250,000 in damages for what they are calling bad faith in the way his case was dealt.
“This year we feel strong that he’ll be reinstated, but he’s not winning it, nobody wins this thing when your reputation has been tarnished,” said Pfefferle, adding that people online are commenting that he is a criminal.
“That’s the sort of thing that strikes to the core of what you do when you’ve carried yourself with respect and dignity and honesty.”
Nordal says a decision on the matter is likely to come in a couple months.
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