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(Update)
Hamilton police are pushing to prevent suspended officers from collecting thousands of dollars while they’re off the job. At Tuesday night’s Police Services Board meeting, members voted through a proposal that would allow police chiefs to suspend officers without pay if they’re charged under the Police Services Act. But the proposal is only the first of many steps in changing the current policy.
Half a million dollars every year. That’s how much the Hamilton police service doles out to officers who have been suspended with pay. Taxpayers balk at the drain on the public purse, but police also take the issue personally.
Hamilton Police Chief Glenn de Caire: “Every police officer in the province of Ontario pays the price for that in a reduction of public trust.”
Tribunal hearings are frequently postponed and probes sometimes take years to conclude. At Tuesday’s meeting, the case of former Hamilton officer, David Doel was cited. He was suspended in 2009 for multiple charges under the Police Service Act including harassment and having sex on the job.
He collected over 550 thousand dollars from Hamilton police before retiring with a pension in March.
Chief de Caire: “That’s an awful lot of policing. That’s an awful lot of boots on the ground that we can put out to make our community safe.”
The Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police has already asked the province to reopen the Police Services Act and change unpaid suspension laws. Their current proposition includes provisions for criminal charges but Hamilton police want to expand that to include internal charges.
Superintendent Nancy Goodes-Ritcie is with the Hamilton Police Service: “That also represents an egregious breach of trust between the police and the community.”
If passed by the OACP, the new proposal would go to the province and it would be up to legislature to change the rules across Ontario.
The unpaid suspensions would be issued under the discretion of a police chief to officers whose charges are so serious they would be cause for dismissal if proven. Officers would be able to appeal the suspension, and ultimately, if they’re found not guilty, all withheld pay and benefits would be reimbursed.
