Ewatski tells PSC he's not signing his PSC performance appraisal because it's "seriously flawed"

Jack Ewatski with CoP Dwayne Gibbs (Guardian photo)

Deputy Police Commissioner Jack Ewatski is not signing his performance appraisal conducted by Police Service Commission (PSC). In a lengthy letter to the PSC, the Canadian police officer said the evaluation process was “seriously flawed.”

The Guardian newspaper published details on Monday. It said Ewatski's letter to PSC Chairman Ramesh Deosaran stated:

“My refusal to sign the appraisal was rooted in my belief that the process used to evaluate my performance was seriously flawed, rendering the results invalid.”

He added that his refusal to sign was "a refusal to validate an objectionable process" and that he could not simply “agree” or “disagree” with “unsound findings.”

Ewatski copied his February 29, 2012 letter to National Security Minister John Sandy, Director of Personnel Administration Gloria Edwards-Joseph and commission members Martin George, Jacqueline Cheesman, Kerry Parker and Addison Khan.

He stated, “I will begin by stating emphatically that I neither question nor challenge the Police Service Commission’s authority or responsibility to evaluate my performance.

“I have publicly stated that I would welcome such an evaluation. A properly-designed and well- conducted performance evaluation is an invaluable tool for any organisation and for the individual being assessed.”

However he stated that for the evaluation to be considered accurate the elements contained within the appraisal must be specific, pertinent, achievable and measurable.

“The identification of these elements is attained through meaningful consultation, collaborative discussion and general agreement between the assessor and the assessed,” he stated. “Furthermore, the process must be fair and transparent. Therefore, these elements must be identified prior to the commencement of the evaluation period."

Former PSC chairman Nizam Mohammed and senior criminologist at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Dr Randy Seepersad, have called on Deosaran to justify whether the appraisals were fair and transparent.

The PSC grade Ewatski and Police Commissioner Dwayne Gibbs as “fair”.