Latest / THE DAILY BRIEF / Vancouver cop charged with fraud 'very disappointing,' says ex colleague

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Vancouver cop charged with fraud 'very disappointing,' says ex colleague · THE DAILY BRIEF

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  Speaker 1: I want to go back to one of our top
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  Speaker 1: stories right now. Vancouver police say a high-profile officer and
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  Speaker 1: prominent community advocate allegedly defrauded 19 people out of about
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  Speaker 1: $ 3 million. Caldo Sanj is charged with theft, fraud and
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  Speaker 1: breach of trust offenses dating back to 2017. For more
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  Speaker 1: of this, I want to bring in Cash Heat as
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  Speaker 1: the former chief of police with the West Vancouver Police.
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  Speaker 1: Police Department, Richmond City Council and for several decades served
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  Speaker 1: with the Vancouver Police and now running for Richmond Mayor. Cash,
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  Speaker 1: first of all, what went through your mind when you'd
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  Speaker 1: heard Cal Desange had been charged?
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  Speaker 2: Very disappointed. Very disappointed that we have someone that is
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  Speaker 2: a professional in policing and being accused of committing these
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  Speaker 2: particular crimes. These are serious crimes. So disappointing, but again,
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  Speaker 2: I must applaud the Vancouver Police Department for getting to
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  Speaker 2: the bottom of this, bringing a prima facie case forward,
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  Speaker 2: put it in front of the judiciary and controlling it
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  Speaker 2: within two and a half years within their own organization
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  Speaker 2: without it being leaked out. So a bit of a
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  Speaker 2: mixed feeling on it, but always disappointing when we have
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  Speaker 2: a police officer involved in criminal activity.
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  Speaker 1: With that case, I mean, this began in late 2023,
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  Speaker 1: massive investigation.
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  Speaker 3: What goes into such a large and lengthy case?
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  Speaker 2: Well, first of all, the secrecy surrounding it is paramount
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  Speaker 2: to make sure that nobody is tipped off with respect
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  Speaker 2: to this. You would find that they probably have a
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  Speaker 2: remote location where they would actually work out of and
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  Speaker 2: they would run everything by themselves. They'd run case management
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  Speaker 2: by themselves. They'd run their surveillance by themselves. and interviewing
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  Speaker 2: the victims by themselves. So it's all internalized to a
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  Speaker 2: point of a separate unit that's completely desegregated from the
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  Speaker 2: main activities of policing and working exclusively on this. So
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  Speaker 2: it's quite a operation that would take place. But again,
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  Speaker 2: for it to take place for two and a half years,
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  Speaker 2: that's incredible. That's one where it certainly requires some persistency
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  Speaker 2: from the police officers and some credibility and integrity within
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  Speaker 2: the investigative officers.
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  Speaker 1: Given the scale of this case, Cash, is there any
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  Speaker 1: concern that it ought to have been given to an
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  Speaker 1: outside force? We understand Chief Rice said there were really
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  Speaker 1: only two options. It was either Vancouver Police or the Mounties.
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  Speaker 1: They chatted with RCMP and said given other transition issues
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  Speaker 1: and other factors, they decided to keep it in-house.
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  Speaker 3: Does that make a difference?
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  Speaker 2: I believe that made a positive difference in this respect, Dan,
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  Speaker 2: simply because they were able to control everything. They were
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  Speaker 2: able to make sure that resources were available to carry
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  Speaker 2: through on things. They were able to ensure that the
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  Speaker 2: technology was available. So they owned it right.
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  Speaker 3: At the outset.
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  Speaker 2: When you outsource it, you don't necessarily own the investigation.
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  Speaker 2: And I think the ability for them to maintain ownership
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  Speaker 2: and deal with Crown exclusively by themselves to make sure
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  Speaker 2: they had a prima facie case was very important here.
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  Speaker 1: Cash, you were with Vancouver Police when Kel Desange entered
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  Speaker 1: the force.
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  Speaker 3: Did you serve with him at all? Anything you remember?
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  Speaker 2: Yes, he actually, when I was a supervisor in Vancouver,
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  Speaker 2: he worked under my direction for a period of time
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  Speaker 2: before I moved on. He was like any rookie officer
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  Speaker 2: that came in, to the department.
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  Speaker 3: He wanted to learn.
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  Speaker 2: He wanted to serve. He did a, like any rookie
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  Speaker 2: officer would do, a satisfactory job. He was graded on
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  Speaker 2: his performance. Dan, what is peculiar here is he was
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  Speaker 2: an individual that was a baptized Sikh when he was
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  Speaker 2: taken within the ranks of the Vancouver Police Department. And
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  Speaker 2: it's certainly not the character that we're having to deal
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  Speaker 2: with now. Mm-hmm.
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  Speaker 1: Of course, we need to stress, Cash, that none of
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  Speaker 1: these charges have been proven in court. One more question
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  Speaker 1: for you. Cal also founded Kids Play Youth Foundation over
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  Speaker 1: 10 years ago, the stated aim of keeping B.C.
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  Speaker 3: Kids away from a life of crime.
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  Speaker 1: How concerning is it that he's now been charged with
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  Speaker 1: criminal offenses himself?
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  Speaker 2: Very concerning, because I don't see that organization which, under
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  Speaker 2: the appearances of doing an adequate job with guiding children
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  Speaker 2: in the right direction or youth that are delinquent in
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  Speaker 2: the right direction can now sustain itself over a period
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  Speaker 2: of time. When you have the founder of it, when
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  Speaker 2: you have the person that's in charge of it facing
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  Speaker 2: serious criminal allegations with respect to what has taken place here,
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  Speaker 2: there's no way the organization can survive. And that's the,
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  Speaker 2: you know, for what good it may have done, that's
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  Speaker 2: a sad part of all of this. And it brings
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  Speaker 2: questions of credibility. of some of the other organizations that
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  Speaker 2: are operating out there and how their financial acumen is
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  Speaker 2: actually accounted for.
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  Speaker 1: Cash Heed, former West Vancouver Police Chief, now running for
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  Speaker 1: Mayor of Richmond.
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  Speaker 3: We appreciate your time and insight. Thanks, Cash. Thank you.