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High Ranking Police Folk Allegedly Behaving Badly

The Ottawa Police Association has theirs off site from the workplace; their association building is just down the street from their downtown headquarters. The RCMP headquarters in Barrhaven still had one serving in the building a few years ago when my regiment’s Sgt&WOs would do the rounds of messes for New Years Levee.
Many larger Associations have licenced premises in their own facilities; as you say, off-site and paid for by the membership.
 
Dear Ottawa Police,

Please request that anyone convicted where this shit stain testified be granted an immediate pardon, and be paid $420K from the OPA.


Not sure where you're getting all up in arms about criminals he may have testified against being paid out by the Ottawa Police union. The union wouldn't have played any meaningful role in the criminal proceedings, and the fact that he was on paid suspension is a product of provincial law and a failure to enact regulation, not because of anything his employer or union did or had the power to do. I know you're got a mild hate on for Ottawa Police in particular, but you're well beyond the point of being reasonable on this one.

While he himself is a piece of shit and a convicted criminal (and I'm blown away at the leniency of his sentence), that doesn't automatically nullify the validity of past prosecutions he may have been a investigator in. If there are cases that could have gone either way and were decided specifically on the basis of his uncorroborated testimony, then yes , review it- but I suspect the overwhelming majority of cases he'll have been involved in in any relevant timeframe will have had several other people and lots of other evidence involved. I'm all for correcting miscarriages of justice, but that doesn't mean creating new ones out of blind reactionaryism.
 
Sorry, as a criminal all his testimony is now suspect and should be tossed. If there exists other testimony and/or other evidence, then it should be weighed on its own, without his corroboration. But by default any case he testified is tainted until proven otherwise. He has admitted in a court of law to serious misconduct; his word cannot be trusted.

Those outside policing are not blown away by the leniency of his sentence; cops get a pass in the courts time and time again with discounted sentences, or charges dropped as in this case. And therein lies much of the frustration: police are seen to be held to lesser standards of conduct, yet are given great authorities and powers. In the immortal words of Uncle Ben, "With great power comes great responsibility".
 
Sorry, as a criminal all his testimony is now suspect and should be tossed. If there exists other testimony and/or other evidence, then it should be weighed on its own, without his corroboration. But by default any case he testified is tainted until proven otherwise. He has admitted in a court of law to serious misconduct; his word cannot be trusted.

Those outside policing are not blown away by the leniency of his sentence; cops get a pass in the courts time and time again with discounted sentences, or charges dropped as in this case. And therein lies much of the frustration: police are seen to be held to lesser standards of conduct, yet are given great authorities and powers. In the immortal words of Uncle Ben, "With great power comes great responsibility".

Well no, you're not sorry if you're going around dropping 'ACAB' as you have elsewhere. I assure you my parents were married. But your very heavy bias here is plainly on display. Don't forget that it's other cops who investigated and charged him. We hate corruption within our own.

What you're saying now is basically what I already said- if grounds exist to revisit cases based on a presumption that his testimony is tainted, absolutely open them up on duly filed appeal and see if the matter would stand on its own without it. But that's a HUGE walk back from what you said first, that ANYONE convicted in ANY case where he testified should be fully pardoned pardoned and compensated to the tune of $420k from his union. You ignored being called out on that part.

That said, it's good to see you moderating your position when it's apparent that parts of it don't stand up to challenge.
 
I have no small degree of frustration with the repeated misconduct, uncorrected, of multiple Ottawa Police officers. Yes, I posted hot headed "make the OPA pay!" as a frustration, not as a sound legal argument. Nor was the proposal to toss all convictions where he had ever testified a sound legal argument (nothing in the Criminal Code that I know of would support such action). Making foolish statements online is not, to my knowledge illegal (if it were, think of all the Maple Leaf fans on social media!)

There is a need to clean the Augean stables at Ottawa Police, so to speak; the combination of weak-to-non-existent municipal political leadership, failed police leadership and lack of provincial will to bring into force stronger tools leaves the organization a shambles. Too often the officers are described as "a few bad apples" without citing the full quote - "a few bad apples spoil the bunch".

Right now, in Ottawa, the (municipal) bunch is spoiled. As documented in multiple media investigations (Fifth Estate, among others). And somehow... people are just supposed to shrug, say "it is what it is", and continue with the status quo.
 
I have no small degree of frustration with the repeated misconduct, uncorrected, of multiple Ottawa Police officers. Yes, I posted hot headed "make the OPA pay!" as a frustration, not as a sound legal argument. Nor was the proposal to toss all convictions where he had ever testified a sound legal argument (nothing in the Criminal Code that I know of would support such action). Making foolish statements online is not, to my knowledge illegal (if it were, think of all the Maple Leaf fans on social media!)

There is a need to clean the Augean stables at Ottawa Police, so to speak; the combination of weak-to-non-existent municipal political leadership, failed police leadership and lack of provincial will to bring into force stronger tools leaves the organization a shambles. Too often the officers are described as "a few bad apples" without citing the full quote - "a few bad apples spoil the bunch".

Right now, in Ottawa, the (municipal) bunch is spoiled. As documented in multiple media investigations (Fifth Estate, among others). And somehow... people are just supposed to shrug, say "it is what it is", and continue with the status quo.

Absolutely. There have been a concerning number of Ottawa Police officers landing in fairly deep shit (out of their ~1,400 sworn police). This has spanned all rank levels, and for their recent chief they've gone not just outside of Ottawa but completely outside of municipal policing in Ontario and poached a guy from the RCMP with no existing connection. Probably a good thing. On the discipline side, weak provincial law allows officers to sit suspended with pay for years while criminally charged; that needs to change and it sounds like the recent OPP sex assault conviction is finally spurring the province to act on that.

I truly get the frustration. I live here too and am disappointed by what the city of Ottawa has expected of and accepted from its police service. I know they have major internal issues with a lot of work needing doing. I also know most of them are still good people trying to do their best each day, living under the same sort of shitty broad brush that a lot of CAF has been due to the actions of a relative few. I think there needs to be some major refresh of management, of the relationship between the police services board and the service, and there needs to be a more aggressive effort to get rid of the few who are truly bad cops. I also think the city needs to realize that its considerable population and geographic growth has OPS under immense pressure, with far too few people on the road to do what the public expects of them. The amount of workable crime that they lack resources to address is brutal.
 
With the OPS? I'm surprised he was charged. Figured he would have been given the Eric Post resignation+probation pay on the butt.
Post was convicted of five criminal charges- but that was a huge plea down from the 32 he was charged with. Note that plea deals aren’t something the police service really has any say in. That’s a crown decision.

He resigned the day before he was criminally sentenced. A police officer in Ontario can dodge professional sanction by resigning, but it has no direct effect on criminal charges.

I have a strong opinion on the deal Post got.
 
A police officer in Ontario can dodge professional sanction by resigning, but it has no direct effect on criminal charges.

Had he not resinged, what professional sanctions could he have faced?

As a municipal service in Ontario, OPS must be in OMERS.

I have been an OMERS member for over half a century. Seen guys fired. A claw back of accrued pension benefits is not legal. Although, that did not stop some supervisors from claiming the ability to, "Take away your pension."

As if they had that authority. < ROFL smiley

It used to infuriate some taxpayers that they couldn't do that.

He must have been acting on the advice of his Association by resigning the day before he was criminally sentenced.

But, if resigning has no effect on criminal charges, or OMERS, what professional sanctions would he have faced from OPS, other than firing?

"You can't fire me. I quit!"

Perhaps it made a favourable impression on the sentencing judge?
 
Had he not resinged, what professional sanctions could he have faced?

As a municipal service in Ontario, OPS must be in OMERS.

I have been an OMERS member for over half a century. Seen guys fired. A claw back of accrued pension benefits is not legal. Although, that did not stop some supervisors from threatening to, "Take away your pension." As if they had that authority. < ROFL smiley

It used to infuriate some taxpayers that they couldn't do that.

He must have been acting on the advice of his Association by resigning the day before he was criminally sentenced.

But, if resigning has no effect on criminal charges, or OMERS, what professional sanctions would he have faced from OPS, other than firing?

"You can't fire me. I quit!"

Perhaps it made a favourable impression on the sentencing judge?
I have no idea what sanction powers exists but would fines be something? Retroactive demotion?
 
I have no idea what sanction powers exists but would fines be something? Retroactive demotion?

Not familiar with the Ontario Police Act.

Only that OMERS is unfu#%able.
 
Had he not resinged, what professional sanctions could he have faced?

As a municipal service in Ontario, OPS must be in OMERS.

I have been an OMERS member for over half a century. Seen guys fired. A claw back of accrued pension benefits is not legal. Although, that did not stop some supervisors from claiming the ability to, "Take away your pension."

As if they had that authority. < ROFL smiley

It used to infuriate some taxpayers that they couldn't do that.

He must have been acting on the advice of his Association by resigning the day before he was criminally sentenced.

But, if resigning has no effect on criminal charges, or OMERS, what professional sanctions would he have faced from OPS, other than firing?

"You can't fire me. I quit!"

Perhaps it made a favourable impression on the sentencing judge?
Not sure. Remius’ guess might be on to something. They could fire him I suppose. I doubt there’s any mechanism to go after his pension. The only police service I’ve ever heard of that can lose their pension for misconduct is the RCMP

My guess is severance.
 
Sorry, as a criminal all his testimony is now suspect and should be tossed. If there exists other testimony and/or other evidence, then it should be weighed on its own, without his corroboration. But by default any case he testified is tainted until proven otherwise. He has admitted in a court of law to serious misconduct; his word cannot be trusted.

Those outside policing are not blown away by the leniency of his sentence; cops get a pass in the courts time and time again with discounted sentences, or charges dropped as in this case. And therein lies much of the frustration: police are seen to be held to lesser standards of conduct, yet are given great authorities and powers. In the immortal words of Uncle Ben, "With great power comes great responsibility".
This has a strong 'les Miserables' vibe to it. A convicted criminal cannot be sworn or believed.
My guess is severance.
Severance is not generally part of a pension (i.e. OMERS) entitlement; more of an employer's HR policy. I'm not familiar with OMERS but I would be surprised if someone would be eligible for severance when they resign - perhaps a pay-out of unused credits.
 
I doubt there’s any mechanism to go after his pension.

Don't take my word for it.

Disgraced Ottawa police officer to keep pension​


"Quit? Fired? Doesn't matter," said John Pierce, a spokesman for Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System, which administers pension funds for most Ontario police departments.

"It's irrelevant to OMERS how a person leaves their job. A clawback of accrued pension benefits is not legal under the Pension Benefits Act."

OMERS is unfu%&able.
 
This has a strong 'les Miserables' vibe to it. A convicted criminal cannot be sworn or believed.

Severance is not generally part of a pension (i.e. OMERS) entitlement; more of an employer's HR policy. I'm not familiar with OMERS but I would be surprised if someone would be eligible for severance when they resign - perhaps a pay-out of unused credits.
Sloly got his severance when he resigned. But I don’t know one way or another.
 
Good point, but senior officers (usually chiefs/commissioners and their deputies) work under individual employment contracts.
 
I have a strong opinion on the deal Post got.

I bet. I'm sure this shit pisses cops off even more than the regular public.

It still seems like there's a pattern of police being given lesser punishments than other citizens. Not just the OPS either.
 
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