Waterloo Region Record

‘I felt very much like an outsider,’ former officer says

Ex-constable tells police hearing colleagues in platoon shunned her

TERRY PENDER WATERLOO REGION RECORD TERRY PENDER IS A WATERLOO REGION-BASED REPORTER FOCUSING ON ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT FOR THE RECORD. REACH HIM VIA EMAIL: TPENDER@THERECORD.COM

‘‘ It was incredibly uncomfortable for me. I dreaded every day I had to work there.

ANGIE RIVERS

By the late summer of 2014, Waterloo Regional Police Const. Angie Rivers reached a longtime goal when she was accepted to join a plainclothes street crime unit.

The work environment on Platoon H in the Cambridge Division had become so toxic that she applied for a plainclothes unit called the Crime Management Team or CMT, Rivers said during testimony at an arbitration hearing about police response to her complaints of overt sexual harassment and sex discrimination at the Waterloo Region Police.

Rivers’ career goal was to make detective, working drugs and intelligence. And the CMT was a great way to prepare for that, she testified.

There is a CMT unit in each city focused on street-level crime and drugs. The one in Cambridge was led by Sgt. Nathan Cardoza. Cardoza had sent Rivers several sexually charged BBM texts in 2013, and Rivers testified she ceased all contact with the veteran undercover officer she had deeply respected as a mentor.

There was a chance Rivers would be assigned to Cardoza’s unit, but if that happened, she said Friday, she would have declined the promotion and remained on patrol in Cambridge.

“I was not willing to work for him,” said Rivers.

She was to begin Jan. 1, 2015. To prepare, Rivers completed police courses on general investigative techniques, working in mobile surveillance units called SPIN teams, and outlaw biker gangs.

Normally, when a member of a patrol platoon is promoted, there is widespread acknowledgement and congratulations capped off with a gathering for drinks, Rivers said.

Only Staff Sgt. Gerry Nugent congratulated her during a phone call, she said. By then, Rivers testified, her isolation on Platoon H was just about complete.

“I felt very much like an outsider because I was socially isolated, I am not trusted, I didn’t feel like I was received as part of the team on the platoon,” said Rivers.

When another member of the platoon, Cons. Neal Marcynuk was cleared of any wrongdoing in a Police Services Act investigation, the work environment went from bad to worse, she said.

Rivers had filed a complaint after Marcynuk had referred to Rivers as a “bitch” who deserved “to get her ass kicked,” and that he would not be there to back her up. At the time, Rivers and Marcynuk were “zone partners” — both patrolling the same area and expecting backup from each other when needed.

After making the complaint, Rivers was transferred to Zone 2 of the Cambridge Division, a largely rural area where little happened other than bush parties.

For an ambitious patrol constable who was already developing confidential informants, filling out search warrant applications and conducting surveillance from unmarked cruisers, the transfer was a huge blow.

It was nothing but retaliation for having reported Marcynuk, said Rivers.

So, she was looking forward to starting work on the Waterloo CMT in January 2015.

It came with a promotion to detective, a six per cent increase in pay, $1,200 annually for clothes, a smartphone, straight weekday work, on-call every weekend unless their sergeant said it was OK to be unavailable.

They are often allowed to take undercover cars home as well.

In December 2014, Rivers was told the CMT units in Kitchener and Waterloo had been temporarily assigned to a homicide investigation, and Rivers would have to go to the Cambridge CMT in a few weeks under Cardoza.

With the understanding it would be only for three months, Rivers reported to Cardoza in early January 2015.

“It was incredibly uncomfortable for me,” said Rivers. “I dreaded every day I had to work there.”

Cardoza referred to her as “girl,” or “woman” and made comments about the appearance of female celebrities. When the entire team was eating at restaurant once, Cardoza was talking about the waitress and her appearance, said Rivers.

All of the men at the table agreed the waitress was very attractive, and when Rivers said did not, her sergeant kept pressing her about it, said Rivers.

He kept sending her pictures of himself out having drinks and partying, inviting her to join him. Rivers said she had to respond in a friendly manner, but never accepted any invitations.

Cardoza repeatedly denied her requests for office time to write up applications or search warrants, said Rivers. Instead, he said she could do that while conducting mobile surveillance from an undercover car.

Writing up search warrant applications is detailed work, and Rivers always did it in the office with reference books and notes on hand.

There was no way she was going to file another complaint, said Rivers.

“With everything I went through and was still experiencing from the fallout of the Marcynuk report, I knew that the service would not be interested,” said Rivers.

“I knew it would only come back to affect me negatively in the long run, and I was not prepared to go through that again,” said Rivers.

She joined the Waterloo Regional Police in 2006. In the summer of 2015, she went on stress leave, and has been fighting her case since then. Rivers testified for two days in February, and three days this past week. The hearing is scheduled to resume June 1.

After about four months with the Cambridge CMT, Rivers was told she would not be going to the Waterloo CMT after all.

“That was devastating news,” said Rivers. “I felt completely hopeless, the depression really kicked in. I went from being an occasional drinker to drinking every weekend, to eventually drinking every day to cope.”

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2022-05-21T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-05-21T07:00:00.0000000Z

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