Oak Bay officer fired after allegedly hiring sex worker, but retires before punishment
An Oak Bay cop has been ordered dismissed over allegations of hiring a sex trade worker but retired before the punishment was meted out.
The allegation against the officer, whose name or gender was not revealed, was documented in the annual report of the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner released Tuesday.
In a statement, Oak Bay Chief Constable Andy Brinton said the department caught wind of the allegation in December, 2016.
The police complaints commissioner began an investigation at that time as did an "external independent investigator," Brinton said. The matter was also investigated criminally.
Those investigations did not find enough evidence for criminal charges, but did find the officer had committed discreditable misconduct, which led to dismissal in November, 2017.
"The behaviour of this police officer does not meet the expectations of the Oak Bay Police Department nor the community at large," Brinton said in the statement. "This individual will never be a police officer again."
The officer retired before the investigations completed, the department said. According to the commissioner's annual report, the officer did not appeal the findings of the disciplinary process.
The department said there was no evidence the cop hired the sex worker while on duty.
The complaint commissioner's report detailed a second incident involving an Oak Bay police officer.
That officer was in a refresher course to learn how to assemble and disassemble the force's service revolver when the gun was "negligently" fired.
The commissioner's report noted it appeared there was a jammed casing in the weapon. No one was hurt in the incident. The officer acknowledged the mistake and promised to be more careful in the future. No further discipline was ordered.
The Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner describes itself as an "independent civilian oversight agency that provides an accessible way for the public to voice their concerns about the conduct of any municipal police officer or department."
