Belleville police officer forced to quit following unsuccessful appeal

A Belleville police officer has been given two choices: Either quit or be fired, and he has seven days to make that choice.

Const. Eric Shorey has lost an appeal to overturn a ruling made under the Police Services Act last February that ordered the officer to resign or be dismissed.

The Ontario Civilian Police Commission upheld the ruling on Monday.

The hearing and charges stem from a criminal trial dating back to 2013, when Shorey was found guilty of criminal harassment and breach of trust.

He stalked his former girlfriend and her now-husband over the span of several months, including prowling outside of their Belleville home.

Shorey, who joined the Belleville police department in 2007, used police databases to glean personal and private information about the couple. There were 23 inquiries on police and Ministry of Transportation databases on 15 different occasions.

The criminal case ended with a suspended sentence and three years’ probation. But Shorey’s troubles didn’t end there.

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The constable pleaded guilty to two charges of discreditable conduct under the Police Services Act and was found guilty again.

“The conduct of Constable Shorey was so egregious as to cause serious damage to the reputation of the Belleville Police Service. Police officers who commit such serious offences must be severely dealt with and, therefore, only one course of action is available to this tribunal, which has a duty to prevent further serious breaches of conduct,” explained hearing officer Deputy Chief (retired), Terrence Kelly.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The conduct of Constable Shorey was so egregious as to cause serious damage to the reputation of the Belleville Police Service. Police officers who commit such serious offences must be severely dealt with and, therefore, only one course of action is available to this tribunal, which has a duty to prevent further serious breaches of conduct," explained hearing officer Deputy Chief (retired), Terrence Kelly.

Credibility became the main focus of the decision and the appeal. The hearing officer pointed out that without credibility and investigation involving the constable could be used against him by defence lawyers.

“Police officers in the performance of their duties must testify in criminal proceedings and be examined and cross-examined on their testimony. The circumstances of this matter will affect Constable Shorey’s usefulness, and each time this occurs it will further damage the reputation of the Police Service,” explained Kelly.

Shorey has been off duty since 2012 and has remained suspended with pay.