A retired member of the Vancouver Police Department is speaking out in support of a proposed class action lawsuit, launched three months ago by six female officers alleging discrimination and harassment based on gender.
For 32 years Tammy Hammell was a constable with the Vancouver Police Department. During some of those years she trained other officers in the use of force and tasers.
“I stand with pride absolutely in the service and, you know, the police work that I have actually been able to do,” she told Global News.
But Hammell says her love of the job changed when she joined the VPD Marine Unit in 2014, where she says she faced harassment and career sabotage.
The 55-year-old says she spent her own money and time acquiring her 60-ton captain’s ticket from Transport Canada, which would allow her to be senior acting sergeant and extend her tenure.
But when fellow officers found out, they tried to have it removed, she says.
“They actively tried to rescind my captain’s ticket until Transport Canada said, ‘she has met all the requirements we’ve asked of her. And we are not going to rescind this ticket based on your personal opinion,'” she said.
Emails obtained by Hammell through the freedom of information process, and seen by Global News, confirm that her colleagues tried to have her captain’s ticket removed.
Hammell filed a formal complaint and an investigation followed. During that time, she alleges she found a dead rat inside a box left in her front yard.
“The message behind a dead rat is to watch my step,” she said. “It’s to know that we’re watching you.”
The final investigative report into Hammell’s harassment complaint stated, “serious concerns were expressed about Const. Hammell’s vessel operating abilities.”
It also said she had obtained “certification from Transport Canada via a path not sanctioned by VPD MU (Marine Unit).”
Vancouver Police Department spokesperson Const. Tania Visintin responded to questions about Hammell’s case, saying, “the allegations were unsubstantiated by the independent investigator.”
“The findings then were sent over to our professional standards section and our discipline authority who reviewed the findings of the independent investigation, and they concluded that the allegations were unsubstantiated,” she said.
Hammell, who retired two years ago, says she’s speaking out now to support a proposed class action lawsuit underway by six women police officers for discrimination and harassment based on gender.
“We need this to change and I’m supporting these women,” she said.
The plaintiffs filed the suit on Oct. 12, 2023, and the officers are now fundraising to assist in their legal battle.
The suit names 13 cities with municipal police agencies along with the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner and B.C.’s solicitor general and public safety minister.
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