Demoted former Vancouver police officer faces 2nd OPCC review over sexual misconduct

Keiron McConnell was demoted and suspended without pay for 20 days after admitting that he sent inappropriate sexualized messages to female students and fellow officers.

A former Vancouver police officer who admitted sexual misconduct earlier this year is facing another disciplinary review by B.C.’s Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner.

Keiron McConnell – who retired after an OPCC public hearing in May that resulted in his demotion from sergeant to constable and a 20-day suspension without pay – admitted to additional misconduct in a separate case earlier this year, according to the OPCC.

In a statement Wednesday, the office said Police Complaint Commissioner Prabhu Rajan had appointed a retired judge to “independently review a disciplinary decision” made by a police discipline authority in the case.

According to the OPCC, McConnell admitted during the discipline authority’s investigation that he had encountered a former female student at a bar while he was on duty in 2005, and had sex with her after his shift “while aware she was under the influence of alcohol.”

“He also admitted exchanging messages with the former student, including inappropriate sexual content, and failing to document his reason for querying the former student’s name in a police database,” the office’s statement reads.

The discipline authority’s investigation did not allow the former student or the OPCC to participate or propose a disciplinary outcome, the office said. Instead, only McConnell and a representative appointed by the discipline authority participated, and they made a joint submission to the discipline authority proposing a 10-day suspension without pay.

The commissioner considers this penalty “insufficient given the serious nature of the misconduct,” the OPCC statement reads.

“The full range of disciplinary and corrective measures, up to and including dismissal, should be independently considered given the former member’s admission of misconduct coupled with previous admissions of sexualized discreditable conduct made during a public hearing earlier this year,” said Rajan, in the statement.

“The admitted misconduct in this case is serious in nature and is likely to have caused the former student physical, emotional, or psychological harm, and to have violated her dignity. I am concerned that the discipline imposed does not fit the seriousness of the admitted sexualized conduct or appropriately consider the member’s service record, which includes a demotion and lengthy suspension for past sexualized behaviour. The public’s confidence in police and the disciplinary process is likely to be undermined without an independent review.”

McConnell’s previous discipline came after he admitted to sending unwanted texts and Facebook messages to colleagues and criminology students he taught in B.C. universities between 2015 and 2019.

McConnell engaged in “a pattern of inappropriate behaviour with multiple women,” and claimed to be “oblivious” of its impact, despite some of his messages indicating he was aware that they crossed boundaries, according to retired judge Carol Baird Ellan, who conducted the public hearing.

Rajan has appointed Baird Ellan to preside over the review of the latest case, as well.

“Although McConnell has retired from the VPD, the conduct admitted in this case occurred while he was an active member. If the review on the record results in different disciplinary or corrective measures, it will be recorded on McConnell’s service record of discipline,” the OPCC statement concludes.

With files from The Canadian Press