Changes at the station
In the coming months, the province’s Police Services Act – which governs how police should act, be trained and, in some cases, be disciplined – will be up for review. For more than 25 years, this piece of legislation has dictated how police should, well, police our communities.
It also did a great thing in creating the Special Investigations Unit – an independent body that investigates incidents involving police that end in death, serious injuries, or if the officer has been accused of something serious such as sexual assault.
While this legislation has done some good, it isn’t all unicorns and rainbows.
One part of the act – how officers can be disciplined – has come under fire in recent months, and the Durham Police Services Board is the latest to say enough is enough.
Both Roger Anderson, the chair of the board, and Paul Martin, Durham’s top cop, agree that it’s time that this part of the act be changed.
Currently, officers who are suspended cannot be fired, and will continue to be paid a full salary up until the time they are either cleared of all charges, or are found guilty and can therefore be fired.
This has lead to the case of officers such as Glen Turpin, who was on paid leave for seven years. Turpin’s suspension came as a result of accusations of using excessive force.
It wasn’t until this past September that the now-former Durham cop was stripped of his badge by a police tribunal two years after being acquitted of the second incident of excessive force. He had been found guilty of the first incident in 2009.
The cost, however, was the $600,000 that Turpin collected in wages while he was suspended. And remember who, at the end of the day, pays the salary of all DRPS officers – us, the taxpayers.
Another thing Anderson called to change was how officers are trained. Currently, the force will hire them on, and then pay to send them to a 13-week program that will certify them to become a cop. That model is backwards to any other job positions, which want to see proper certifications before being hired.
The police services board is on the right track in calling for these changes, as the police need to be the symbol of public trust, and knowing that a suspended officer can continue to collect hundreds of thousands of dollars after years of suspension does nothing to help that image.