Less Than 1 in 10 Police Officers Fired After Domestic Violence or Other Conviction: Police Wife Blog

Should a police department hire someone who has a criminal record involving a serious offence -- for example, domestic violence, sexual assault or impaired driving?

Probably not, right?

Most people would probably feel the same way about an officer who gets convicted of a crime while on the job. It would be pretty strange for them to keep their badge and gun, enforcing the law on others when they can't respect it themselves.

Just 5 of 55 convicted cops fired

It turns out only two out of 27 Toronto Police Service cops convicted of a crime were terminated from their job since 2013, according to an investigation Tuesday by Toronto's CityNews TV network.

The story is similar in neighbouring police departments. Of 55 convicted officers in all, a mere five were fired -- or less than one in 10. That includes cases of police officer-involved domestic violence.

The report follows on the heels of another investigation earlier this month that examined why police in Canada dismiss so many sexual assault allegations without laying charges.

No jail time for officer-involved domestic violence conviction

The latest investigation told the story of one Toronto officer who had been drinking at his child's birthday party, then assaulted his domestic partner, hitting her in the face and knocking her into the bathtub where she hit her head. 

He then ran after her, hit her in the face again and smashed her cellphone. She received a concussion and bruising to her arms.

The officer was convicted of assault, but his sentence was a conditional discharge, with 12 months' probation. Instead of being fired, the officer forfeited 15 days of work.

"Kangaroo court"

"The officer is out on the beat, they get called for a domestic violence call," says Toronto human-rights lawyer Julian Falconer. "They are now taking the statement of a complainant. They have just been convicted themselves of domestic assault.

"Where is the credibility of managing the situation? And where is the trust?"

Falconer calls the police disciplinary process "a kangaroo court" and "horribly flawed."

"It doesn't have any of the hallmarks of a fair and balanced process," he says.

Learn more about how police protect their own and how this impacts us all in my award-winning book Police Wife: The Secret Epidemic of Police Domestic Violence. Click here to read a free extended excerpt from Police Wife. Share the Police Wife blog with your friends.

Ex-Police Wife's Suit Alleges Botched Response Involving Domestic Violence

"Former members of the now overhauled Monticello Police Department are facing a federal lawsuit over delayed response to a 911 call regarding a former officer and his estranged wife," reports Salt Lake City's KSL TV in a story.

"Elizabeth Young, now divorced from ex-Monticello Police Sgt. Jesse Cole Young, and her boyfriend at the time, Nicholas Ketron, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court Thursday seeking compensation and punitive damages after Jesse Young admitted to breaking into his estranged wife's home and assaulting Ketron in December 2015. But officers from his department and a 911 dispatcher delayed sending help until the following morning....

"Young claims that she was frightened and believed her estranged husband was 'out of control,' and called 911. The police dispatcher who answered, Redd, 'seemed unconcerned about Ms. Young's safety, and instead demanded to know whether her guest was male and what his name was,' the lawsuit states.

"Fearful, Elizabeth Young and Ketron left the house, according to the suit, and went to a pavilion at a nearby church to wait for police. No one came. After 30 minutes, Elizabeth Young called 911 again and Redd told her that because of the late hour, no one would be dispatched until morning.

"Afraid to contact law enforcement again, Elizabeth Young and Ketron claim they spent the rest of the night in a vehicle in the mountains 'to hide out'...."

Read the full story here.