The Police Association has rejected SAPOL's attempts to excuse conflict-of-interest allegations against Assistant Commissioner Linda Fellows.
MLC Frank Pangallo recently obtained FOI documents which raise questions about ACM Fellows' role during SAPOL's support of the Stadium Management Authority bid to allow the sale of beer cans at Adelaide Oval.
ACM Fellows is currently the deputy chair of the Adelaide Football Club's board of directors. The club stands to gain financially from the Liquor Licensing Commissioner's decision last year to allow the sale of cans at the oval.
SAPOL has claimed, however, that Detective Chief Inspector Greg Hutchins was the person ultimately in charge of the move to support the bid.
Association president Mark Carroll said these claims were "laughable."
"It's interesting that SAPOL isn't even trying to deny there would've been a conflict of interest, but are instead pretending that ACM Fellows had nothing to do with the decision," he said.
"The reality is the chief inspector always reports to the assistant commissioner.
"But even more damning is that Detective CIN Hutchins was representing the Licensing Enforcement Branch of SAPOL — and the FOI documents clearly show that section reported directly to ACM Fellows on this specific decision."
Mr Carroll said the issue required an immediate response from Police Commissioner Grant Stevens.
"SAPOL has typically rolled out a faceless spokesperson to issue a carefully-worded response," he said.
"They're seriously running with the narrative that the individual who held ultimate power over the Licensing Enforcement Branch (ACM Fellows) simultaneously bears no responsibility whatsoever for its final decision.
"Apparently, at SAPOL, the buck stops nowhere."
Mr Carroll said the association supports Mr Pangallo's calls for an independent inquiry into the issue.
