B.C. Watchdog Orders Independent Review of 10-Day Penalty for Ex‑Vancouver Officer’s Admitted Sexual Misconduct
The retired judge may alter the service record despite the officer’s retirement.
Overview
- Police complaint commissioner Prabhu Rajan said the 10-day unpaid suspension for Keiron McConnell does not match the seriousness of the admitted conduct and risks eroding public confidence.
- Retired judge Carol Baird Ellan was appointed to conduct a paper review of the external discipline authority’s decision reached after a closed-door proceeding in May.
- The May hearing allowed only McConnell and a discipline representative to participate, and they made a joint submission proposing the 10-day suspension without input from the former student or the OPCC.
- According to the OPCC, McConnell admitted he encountered a former student while on duty in 2005, had sex with her after his shift while she was intoxicated, exchanged sexual messages, and queried her in a police database without documenting a reason.
- In an earlier April public hearing, McConnell admitted multiple instances of sexualized misconduct and was demoted for a year and suspended 20 days, and because he has since retired any new measures can be recorded on his service record but not enforced; the RCMP did not recommend charges.