Police retirements while under investigation

Given the reports on VicPD’s Robb Ferris, “believed to be involved in 19 instances of misconduct,” and the investigation of Cst. Kim Taylor for misleading the Crown, here’s a timely FOI showing that from 2014 to 2023, 14 VicPD officers retired while under investigation.

I based this FOI on the work of Taylor Lambert, who found that over 11 years, 50 Calgary (CPS) and 38 Edmonton (EPS) officers left their jobs while under investigation. In B.C. the investigations keep going after officers retire, but they don't have to cooperate anymore.

If you look at the departments’ average number of officers, 0.19% of EPS officers left under a cloud each year (4.6/2,099), and 0.22% for CPS (3.4/1,773). VicPD has 0.58% of its officers retire each year while under investigation (1.4/240), or ~3 times the rate of EPS or CPS.

The most common allegation against a VicPD officer who retired while under investigation was Abuse of Authority (7/14 officers) followed by Neglect of Duty (6/14). CBC reported that Robb Ferris resigned, and CHEK reported Kim Taylor retired. They may be reflected in this data.

Separately, I also asked VicPD how many officers were currently suspended. As of January 25, 2024, one officer was currently suspended with pay while under a Police Act investigation. Perhaps Jose Bingham, as reported here.

It seems like a lot of VicPD officers retire while being investigated. As a final thought, given drug busts are linked to increased overdose deaths, it’s worth noting the legacy of VicPD’s “Project Juliet” isn’t just deceit, it's likely dead bodies, too.