CALGARY -- An internal Vancouver Police investigation and one by B.C.’s Police watchdog are underway into how the department apparently mishandled an identity fraud case involving Calgarian Kalvin Sims.
Documents obtained by CTV News indicate a Vancouver Police file was created about a ‘Kalvin Sims’ in July 2015, after an attempted theft from a Vancouver store.
The VPD report states the suspect identified himself as ‘Kalvin Daniel Sims’, but the report instead named ‘Kalvin James Sims’.
"I didn't understand any of it," Sims told CTV news, particularly since the Kalvin Sims in the Vancouver Police folder had a tattoo while Sims had none.
Detained
The former flight attendant said he only learned that he was on the Vancouver Police Department’s radar two years later, in 2017, through an equally baffling encounter with Transport Canada.
“They said we've known of you in this industry for a number of years," Sims said, who had no idea why. "And there's some suspicious policing notes that have been put under your name.”
That enigmatic conversation caused Sims to reflect back on being detained at Toronto's Pearson Airport, where he was released without an explanation as to why he was detained in the first place.
To clear up the mystery, Sims provided photos to the Vancouver police proving he didn’t have a tattoo on his arm matching the suspect’s description, and says he was told the suspect produced identification with his name on it to police.
Sims believes the genesis of it all started following a trip Sims took back to Canada about a decade ago after spending a stint working as a flight attendant in Qatar.
"I had to show one of my identifications, which was my GCC residency card in Qatar," he said."That was not returned back to me; that was one ID that went missing. Then later I found out the social insurance number was also gone.”
Documents show Vancouver police opened an identity fraud file on Sims' case, but years later, Sims says he’s still having problems and has filed a complaint with the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner in B.C., claiming the officer in charge of the file went on leave and his case wasn’t passed on to anyone else.
When asked to comment, the commissioner’s officer provided this statement to CTV:
“I can confirm that the OPCC received a complaint from Mr. Kalvin Sims relating to the conduct of the Vancouver Police … The OPCC is responsible for providing civilian oversight of misconduct investigations involving municipal police to ensure investigations are thorough and impartial. The agency responsible for investigating this conduct is the Vancouver Police Department. Due to confidentiality provisions contained in the Police Act, I am unable to provide any information relating to the investigation into the member’s conduct.”
The commissioner’s office referred further questions to the Vancouver Police Department.
The Vancouver police, in turn, said it couldn’t comment because the file is currently being investigated by its professional standards section.
While the Vancouver authorities continue to investigate Sim's unusual case, he says it's still causing him anguish and frustration.
“I want to move on, get this away from me," he said. "This has been horrible for my own mental health, my peace and well-being.”
