Another senior officer at the West Vancouver Police Department has announced he will be leaving the department.
Insp. Mike Rattray will retire from the West Vancouver Police Department March 31.
The announcement of Rattray's retirement comes just two weeks after Chief Constable Peter Lepine announced he will be stepping away from the top job at the department.
Both departures come in the wake of a damning internal report that pointed to serious dissatisfaction by police officers and civilian employees with senior management in the police department.
It also comes after some police officers went public with allegations of harassment and a culture that tolerates harassment at the department.
Lepine has said his own departure is not related to either the internal report or the harassment allegations. He also said he investigates all harassment allegations that come to his attention.
Neither Lepine nor West Vancouver Mayor Michael Smith, chairman of the police board, had any direct comment on Rattray's retirement.
Const. Jeff Palmer, spokesman for the department, read a statement from Lepine that said "employees of the West Vancouver police make their own career decisions on an ongoing basis" adding Lepine considers it "inappropriate" to comment on "any individual's personal career decisions."
According to a biography posted on the police department website, Rattray began his policing career with the RCMP in 1978. He first began working for the West Vancouver Police Department in 1982.
Two weeks ago, at a press conference, Smith hinted he expected to see some changes in the ranks of senior officers, commenting, "The board is prepared to take further personnel actions in a very short time frame."
This week, Smith indicated Rattray's retirement will likely not be the last change at the West Vancouver Police Department.
"I committed myself to making change and I intend to meet my commitment," he said Thursday. "We're hoping to have the plan (to address problems in the department) fully executed very shortly."
Smith said he would be willing to answer questions about how much the municipality is shelling out for any severance packages once all the changes are complete.
"We intend to bring our police department budget in on the approved budgeted amount," he said.
According to the 2012 figures - the last figures publicly available on West Vancouver Police Department salaries - officers in senior management at the department are paid between $165,000 and $193,000 per year.
Rattray will be the third officer in the senior management team to either leave the West Vancouver Police Department or announce plans to leave in the past year.
Insp. Wayne Giesbrecht left the department in March 2013.
