Ottawa deputy police chief charged again

A suspended Ottawa deputy police chiefalready charged with disciplinary offences for alleged sexual harassment has been charged yet again, CBC News has learned.

Deputy Chief Uday Jaswal has been charged withtwo counts of discreditable conduct under the Police Services Act in connection with his time as deputy chief at the Durham Regional Police Service, according to his lawyer.

That brings the total number of misconduct charges Jaswalfaces to eight.

Jaswal was charged in 2020with six counts of misconduct three counts of discreditable conduct and three counts of insubordination for allegedly sexually harassing three female Ottawa Police Service (OPS) employees.

Those offences are currently being tried at a disciplinary hearing that began earlier this month. All of the charges against him were laid by the Ontario Civilian Police Commission (OCPC).

One of 3 Durham officials investigated

Jaswal was hired by Ottawa police in1995. He rose to the rank of superintendent before leaving the city in 2016 to be deputy chief in Durham.

Jaswal was one ofthreesenior executives with the Durham Regional Police Service who were being investigated by the OCPC over allegations of corruption and abuse of power.

The service's former police chief is no longer employed by the Durham police.

In 2018, the Ottawa Police Services Board brought backJaswal to be the city's deputy chief. In 2019,while the service was looking for its next police chief, Jaswal opted not to serve as interim chief when the allegations against him and the ongoing investigation in Durham became public.

On Friday, Coun. Diane Deans, chair of the Ottawa police services board,declined to comment on the charges, citing the need fora fairprocess.

Sexual harassment allegations

In September of that year, the first sexual harassment allegationsbecame public when a civilian OPSemployee filed a human rights complaint alleging repeated come-ons and an incident of unwanted touching.

Jaswal was suspended with pay by the board in March 2020when the first disciplinary charges against him were laid.

Two additional women, both police officers,later came forward to investigators with more allegations.

Jaswal's lawyer Ari Goldkindsaid his client "remains concerned that the OCPC continues to demonstrate a lack of impartiality and fairness.The OCPC continues to be his investigator, his prosecutor, his judge and his jury."

Goldkind said Jaswal will answer the allegations "in due course."

Jaswal's disciplinary hearing for the Ottawa charges is scheduled to resume in May.