Election reference in city hall bug-sweep letter fuels dispute between Windsor mayoral candidates

Drew Dilkens says the municipal election never came up in discussions about a search for hidden listening devices at city hall, despite a reference to it in the

Drew Dilkens says a request to search city hall for hidden listening devices had nothing to do with the municipal election, while mayoral challenger Fred Francis says the wording of a police letter raises questions about that explanation.

The letter, signed June 10 by Windsor police Chief Jason Crowley, requested assistance from the OPP’s Security Assessment Unit to sweep the mayor’s office and other relevant areas of city hall.

Crowley wrote that Dilkens had approached police earlier that month with possible security concerns. The chief noted no devices had been discovered at that point and acknowledged there was little evidence suggesting any were present.

But the letter also referenced the mayoral election year and sitting councillors’ access to city hall — wording that has become a point of contention for Dilkens’ main political rival, Fred Francis.

Speaking to CTV News outside his campaign office on Saturday, Dilkens said the request came through the city’s corporate security department before any mayoral candidate had registered.

“If that’s the angle that’s being taken, it is purely political posturing for no reason and based on no fact,” he said of suggestions the request was politically motivated.

Dilkens said roughly a decade had passed since a similar sweep. He described the request as a precaution to protect confidential conversations in the mayor’s office, the chief administrative officer’s office and rooms used for closed council meetings.

Those discussions can include details about potential investments and what the city is prepared to offer to attract new business, he said.

“We don’t want our competitors to know that,” Dilkens said.

He said the city waited months for the specialized OPP unit to become available.

“There was no urgency. It’s just a simple best practice.”

Asked about the letter’s reference to the election and councillors, Dilkens directed questions about its wording to Crowley. He said neither the city nor his office had raised the election as a reason for the request.

“That never even factored into any of the communication,” he said.

Francis said the explanation provided by Dilkens did not resolve his concerns.

He pointed to the letter’s reference to councillors’ access throughout city hall, arguing the questions extended beyond who had entered the mayor’s office.

“It’s just completely ridiculous,” Francis said.

The letter does not name any councillor or accuse anyone of installing a listening device.

Francis also questioned the use of police resources, saying the mayor should be focused on having officers patrol streets and neighbourhoods.

Dilkens said he was not concerned about Francis specifically, describing him as someone who had largely stopped speaking with him and had not been in his office in almost four years.

Francis disputed that account.

“I have been in his office in the last four years,” he said.

Francis called for the OPP’s findings and recommendations to be made public.

“Release it. What did the OPP report find and what were their recommendations?”

Former OPP commissioner and public safety analyst Chris Lewis said security sweeps can serve a legitimate purpose, even when there is limited evidence of a listening device.

“Obviously, we don’t know all the details,” Lewis said.

He said a police chief could reasonably seek a sweep to give elected officials and staff confidence that sensitive discussions were secure.

Lewis said he was not aware of a comparable municipal example during his time with the OPP, at least one made public. However, he described sweeps as “fairly routine at some high levels in government.”

Lewis previously oversaw the force’s technical support section, which performed that work. He said officers who install listening devices under court orders also have the expertise and equipment to detect them.

A sweep can involve checking for transmissions from hidden microphones, inspecting suspicious equipment and looking for devices connected to electrical power, he said.

Lewis said confidential municipal discussions could involve personnel matters, potential investments or property decisions. Someone listening without authorization could gain access to private information or advance knowledge that could benefit them financially.

Asked whether election periods heightened security concerns during his tenure, Lewis said that had not been his experience. He also said he did not recall listening devices being discovered in an elected official’s office during his time with the force.

But he said security practices have evolved since he left the OPP.

“The world has changed and the result, the security posture has to change as well,” Lewis said.

CTV News asked Windsor police why Crowley’s letter referenced the municipal election and councillors’ access to city hall, after Dilkens said those factors were never raised in discussions about the request.

In a statement, the service said it “cannot comment on matters involving the security of municipal buildings or public officials.”