This morning, Vancouver Police Department Deputy Chief has taken the stand.  Under questioning from Commission Counsel Art Vertlieb, Q.C., he has testified extensively about his qualifications, at one point saying that a judge had advised him “that my evidence was the best he had ever heard.”

He is expected to be on the stand for some time.  Mr. Vertlieb said, “I am not going to stand you down from examination in chief until Deputy Chief Evans’ report is available”.

That was a reference to an anticipated report from Peel Regional Police Deputy Chief Jennifer Evans, who has been poring over the files and interviewing witnesses for about a year.  Although we haven’t been told when the report will be delivered, the media has reported that Commission spokesman Chris Freimond indicated it will be ready by November 14.

We don’t know yet whether any other VPD witnesses will be testifying at the hearings, as we haven’t got a witness list yet.  As far as we can tell, Lepard didn’t actually work on the missing women investigation case, but spent some eight years, from September 2002 until August 2010, conducting a review of his Department’s conduct.