Two city councillors are already shying away from a call to have an independent oversight agency investigate the London police budget dispute that saw a potential agreement fall through the cracks earlier this year.
Last Friday, the London Police Association sent letters to every city councillor and Mayor Matt Brown requesting that a probe into the matter be conducted by the Ontario Civilian Police Commission (OCPC).
Police association president Rick Robson said his members would respect the results of an investigation by the OCPC.
"According to the Police Services Act, OCPC is the oversight body for the Police Services Board," said Robson. "For us it is simply a matter of making comment or providing our input as what we see as the appropriate mechanism for that investigation to unfold."
But since the letters went out, Robson says councillors Stephen Turner and Michael Van Holst have already told him they will not support the probe.
"It was a simple response, 'we don't agree with your position.' They didn't elaborate," said Robson.
A handful of other councillors have reached out to Robson with follow-up questions in relation to the letter, but did not take a stance.
The Police Services Board asked for an investigation at its November 10 meeting into why a potential budget solution worked out in February never made it to city council.
However the board was unsure who should conduct it.
"The London Police Association isn't even saying this is an investigation into the mayor. We are saying the Police Services Board called for its own investigation into what happened with this proposal and the only comment we are making on that is that OCPC should be that body," said Robson. "This isn't specifically directed at the mayor because that's not what the Police Services Board requested."
Brown, who sits on the Police Services Board, has taken heat for not forwarding the tentative budget compromise to the rest of council. He has said he was asked to "champion" the offer but declined. Brown maintains it was the responsibility of the board to bring the offer to councillors.
Following that revelation, the London Police Association called on Brown to resign from the board on November 14, citing a lack of confidence that the mayor is acting in the membership's best interest.
