West Van officer sent nude photos to victim of domestic violence

A West Vancouver police officer has been fired after an investigation found he committed 25 acts of police misconduct, including sending nude photos of himself and inappropriate texts to victims of domestic violence and harassment.

The allegations and firing came to light in the latest quarterly report from the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner, the agency that oversees investigations into wrongdoing by municipal police officers in B.C.

The investigation revealed a pattern of behaviour in which the officer, who cannot be named under the Police Act, targeted women he met while on duty. Of the 11 women he contacted inappropriately, four were victims of domestic violence, two of whom, the report notes, were considered high risk.

The incidents date back to 2011, according to the OPCC, but it wasn’t until 2017 that a member of the public alerted West Vancouver police to the officer’s behaviour. He was suspended without pay soon after while the OPCC and West Van police investigated.

“The police officer breached the trust of the public and police department to such a degree that anything short of dismissal would be unworkable, would bring the administration of police discipline into disrepute, would significantly harm the reputation of the police department and policing in general, and would not serve the public interest,” Chief Const. Len Goerke wrote in his remarks upon handing down the officer’s discipline. “The discipline authority determined that collectively, the police officer’s behaviour was the antithesis of what the police community and public would expect from a police officer. The vulnerability of the females who were the subject of the police officer’s attentions, particularly when considering our current understanding of sexism, power and culture was significantly aggravating.”

Other cases of misconduct listed in the report include using his work cellphone and email to send inappropriate messages and photos to women he met during a harassment investigation, traffic stops or impaired driving stops, conducting unauthorized searches of women on confidential police records databases, leading a woman to believe he was advocating on her behalf to the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles to have her driving prohibition overturned, and advising a woman what to write in a letter to the superintendent.

Three of the women, the report notes, were affiliated with drug dealers and gang members.

West Vancouver’s police chief was so concerned about the allegations, he asked the Vancouver Police Department to carry out an independent criminal investigation into his own officer; however, there was “insufficient evidence to support a recommendation of Criminal Code charges,” the report states.

The OPCC signed off on individual punishments for each of the 25 separate incidents of misconduct in August. The officer was dismissed from his job 11 times, and given 14 five-day suspensions. But, he quit his job before the punishment could be handed down, the report notes.

“The police officer knew or ought to have known that engaging in a personal relationship with a vulnerable domestic violence unit client and the alleged victim in a harassment investigation that he assisted investigating would bring discredit to the department,” Goerke wrote.

Rollie Woods, deputy police complaint commissioner, said it was a serious case but it was handled well by the department.

“It’s a fairly small agency but even considering the size, they do an excellent job. I have to commend Chief Goerke since he’s been there,” Woods said. “They put some of their best officers on investigating matters when there are complaints but generally, they receive a very small number of complaints and I think the public should have a lot of confidence in that police department.”

There were 25 complaint files opened over West Vancouver officers in the 2017/2018 fiscal year. Of those, 11 were inadmissible, one proceeded to a mandatory investigation, five were listed at “monitored” by the department and four were listed as a “question or concern.”

“The public has a right to expect very strict conduct from us and anytime we fall below that, we need to be held accountable and have consequences appropriate to the disciplinary default,” said Const. Jeff Palmer, West Vancouver police spokesman.

West Vancouver’s newly elected Mayor Mary-Ann Booth, who will also chair the West Vancouver police board, declined to comment because she has not yet met with the board to discuss the matter, according to the district.