Vancouver police urged to adopt sexual harassment training as veteran officer admits misconduct

The Vancouver Police Department's longest-serving sergeant faces demotion and a 20-day suspension after admitting to sending unwelcome, sexualized messages to five separate women in a pattern authorities say highlights the issue of sexual harassment at the VPD.

Counsel for the Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner called on the VPD Wednesday to adopt standalone sexual harassment training as part of a deal to resolve misconduct allegations against Sgt. Keiron McConnell involving two fellow police officers and three university students.

"Sexual harassment is fundamentally contrary to the high ethical standards expected of all police officers, especially senior officers having supervisory responsibilities," Brian Smith told the retired judge overseeing a public hearing into the allegations.

"Concerns about sexual harassment and toxic cultures in police workplaces are widespread in the public domain."

Victims say they felt 'degraded' and anxious

Wednesday's proceedings took place in a small courtroom on the 20th floor of a tower at the Metrotown buildings in Burnaby normally reserved for coroners' inquests.

Former provincial court chief judge Carol Baird Ellan sat with her back to an expansive view of the North Shore as more than two dozen spectators — most of them police officers — crammed into the public gallery with many left standing.

McConnell — who first joined the VPD reserves in 1988 — sat beside one of his two female lawyers dressed in a suit and tie. The 56-year-old has been suspended without pay since last July — a measure his lawyer claimed has cost him $112,000 as of last week.

Marilyn Sandford, counsel for the public hearing, opened the hearing by reading from an agreed statement of facts entered as part of a deal McConnell reached in which he admitted to discreditable conduct related to five of seven women who levelled allegations against him.

Promoted to sergeant in 2004, McConnell became part of the leadership of the VPD's gang squad and worked on some of the Lower Mainland's highest-profile murders and drug cases in his years on the force.

The 56-year-old also holds a doctorate and has taught at many universities in British Columbia. The complaints concern incidents that took place between 2015 and 2019.

According to the agreed statement of facts, the two female officers worked under McConnell when he was one of the leaders of the gang squad and sent them unwanted sexual messages.

"The content included sexual remarks about her underwear, her sexual preferences and his sexual fantasies," the statement reads in relation to one of the officers.

"[McConnell's comments caused [her] to feel degraded, and she suffered anxiety as a result. She was concerned about raising the issue with him because of his position in the VPD."

Comments 'unsolicited and unwelcome'

Similar concerns were echoed by the adult students targeted by McConnell — two of whom had taken courses with him prior to the incidents that led to complaints.

McConnell invited one of the young women to a social gathering at a pub where they watched the U.S. election results in 2016. The police officer sent her texts asking what colour underwear she was wearing and later tried to kiss her after they climbed into a taxi together.

"She deflected him and got out of the taxi," the agreed statement of facts reads.

McConnell called her the next day to apologize, but she didn't respond.

Another of the students said she didn't report messages containing sexual content and innuendo because she was concerned it might affect her future career options if she applied to the VPD.

The third student — who had asked McConnell to act as her honours supervisor — said he sent "unsolicited and unwelcome" comments about her physical attractiveness.

"At the time of the exchanges, [the student] aspired to become a police officer," the statement of facts reads. 

"[Her] experience with [McConnell] was one factor in her decision not to pursue a career in policing."

Sandford said McConnell has accepted responsibility for all five incidents, acknowledging his responsibilities as a person in authority. He has also offered apologies to all five women.

'He was ignorant of the dynamics at play'

If Baird Ellan accepts the joint proposal, McConnell will be demoted from sergeant to first-class constable for the next 12 months and suspended without pay for 20 days. He'll also be forbidden from working as a supervisor.

One of the women seated in the front row of the hearing shook her head as Sandford outlined the terms of the deal.

In his submissions, Smith noted that the VPD includes awareness around sexual harassment built into training on maintaining a respectful workplace — courses McConnell has taken several times as both a member and a supervisor.

Smith said nearly half the cases the judge was being asked to consider as precedent for penalties related to sexual harassment involved the department.

The proposed resolution includes a call for the VPD and the police board to include a separate course on sexual harassment as part of training for both officers and civilian employees of the department.

In her submission to the hearing, McConnell's lawyer — Cait Fleck — said the veteran officer suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the many horrific things he has seen over the course of three decades in policing.

She said it's also important to consider context. 

"Sergeant McConnell accepts that he was ignorant of the dynamics at play," said Fleck, who noted that her client had apologized to one of the female officers when she raised the issue with him at the time.

Fleck said none of the other women "directly or expressly told him that comments bothered them."

"We can understand now why they did that," she said. "But the corollary is that can be confusing for the person engaging in those discussions."

Baird Ellan has reserved her decision until after May 6.