The Sarnia Police Services Board has approved changes to its policies on member conduct, promotion, workplace human rights, and harassment.
The amendments were adopted Thursday in the wake of a third-party investigation into officer harassment complaints.
Lawyer Helen Daniel was called in to investigate after Staff Sgt. Jaime McCabe-Wyville alleged she was harassed in the workplace and assaulted by a fellow officer. Chief Norm Hansen reported last month that while Daniels found no evidence of harassment, she made recommendations to address pervasive gossip that has made the workplace toxic.
Chief Hansen told the board that other police services including Windsor have hired outside communications companies.
"And this is not for media releases or anything like that, this is more for internal communication to try to stop that toxic gossip," said Hansen. "This is simply an option, it's not a final solution, I just wanted to put to the board that this is one way to go."
Board chair, Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley said he's skeptical about bringing in help from outside.
"I always remember the former ombudsman telling me, the more communications people, the more communications strategies, the less communication. And I've found that over and over again with organizations, so I'd like to give deep thought to this."
Chief Hansen said some of Daniel's recommendations have already been addressed through the policy changes, and workplace harassment training, but he plans to bring a full report to the board at its next meeting.
The Daniels report has not been made public.
-With files from Colin Gowdy