A Vancouver police sergeant who also taught at B.C. universities has admitted to allegations of discreditable conduct related to unsolicited sexualized messages he sent to fellow officers and female students.
Sgt. Keiron McConnell, a high-ranking veteran officer with the department’s gang crime unit, is the subject of a public hearing called by the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner after multiple women made complaints about his conduct that dates back several years.
The hearing was told that McConnell sent unwanted sexualized communications to students and fellow officers, including inquiring about the colour of their underwear and their sexual preferences.
Marilyn Sandford, council for the public hearing, told adjudicator Carol Baird Ellan that McConnell has agreed to accept a reduction in rank, a 20-day suspension, and other disciplinary and corrective measures to address his inappropriate conduct.
Sandford says McConnell has taken “accountability” for his conduct, recognizing that the women saw him in a position of authority who could impact their policing careers, which made them reluctant to report him to either their department or the institutions where he taught.
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Sandford says lawyers for McConnell, the public hearing and the complaint commissioner have agreed to proposed resolutions to the complaints against him, which involved allegations made by seven women whose names are covered by a publication ban.
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