OPS will mull greater transparency around suspensions, chief says
As police suspensions in Ontario come under increasing scrutiny, Ottawa's police chief says he's open to considering options for keeping the public better informed about them.
A recent deep dive by CBC revealed officers from 44 separate forces who were paid to stay home after being accused of crimes or misconduct have cost taxpayers in the province about $134 million since 2013. In eastern Ontario, the suspensions cost about $24 million.
On Monday, CBC asked Chief Eric Stubbs whether he'd consider a more transparent approach to communicating suspensions to the public, similar to the province's Sunshine List of high income earners.
"Let me take that away and think about that a little bit more," he replied.
Stubbs said there are sometimes reasons why the information can't be made public — when it concerns certain non-criminal allegations or internal labour issues, for example. Ottawa police also avoid naming officers accused of domestic abuse to protect the identity of the victim.
The board does publish the names of many suspended officers in its minutes once every quarter, but while that list is accessible, it isn't widely disseminated.
Since 2013, a total of 35 OPS officers have been suspended for various reasons and lengths of time.
Based on the most recent report, made public in February, four officers remained suspended as of the end of December: Supt. Mark Patterson, Const. Haidar El Badry, Const. Goran Beric and a fourth officer whose name was not disclosed.
The list isn't expected to be updated until May.
A recent deep dive by CBC into 44 separate police forces revealed suspensions have cost taxpayers in the province about $134 million since 2013. In eastern Ontario, including the Ottawa Police Service, suspensions cost about $24 million. (Olivier Plante/CBC)
'No excuse'
Greg Brown, a former Ottawa police officer, believes that information should be more accessible and said police forces need to be more transparent.
"That seems to be what the public wants, and since the police are accountable to the public, then my take on the whole thing is give the public what they want," said Brown, an OPS member for 36 years who now conducts research and litigation consulting for law firms in Canada and the U.S.
Brown believes the OPS could publish a living document on its website that includes each suspended officer's rank, years of experience, pay, details about any allegations, the reasons why the chief believes a suspension was necessary, and a timeline detailing when the situation is expected to be resolved.
Former Ottawa police officer Greg Brown says he'd like to see a OPS publish and update a list of suspensions online, but doesn't believe it's always necessary to name suspended officers. (Submitted by Greg Brown)
But Brown doesn't believe it's necessary to publish each suspended officer's name, and said the current reporting system lacks consistency.
"Sometimes there's a name, sometimes there's no name. That's confusing for a public audience," he said.
Chiefs have choices
Regulations that came into effect in Ontario on April 1 allow police chiefs to suspend officers without pay, but only applies to those facing accusations of a serious, indictable offence committed while off duty.
"You want to look at what the allegations are and if they are all substantiated, is it something where we are looking to fire that person or to remove them from the job permanently?" Stubbs said.
Chiefs must also consider whether each suspension is best served at home or behind a desk.
"If there's jobs that some people can do, but it's administrative, they're not public-facing, is that an option? Or is the best thing for all considered is that we suspend them and they're at home?" he asked.
"Every circumstance has to be assessed with certain criteria and a decision made, and that's certainly something that we'll do every time if if warranted."
