Disciplinary hearing of B.C. police officers detained in Cuba to be held in July

Two Metro Vancouver police officers who were detained for eight months in Cuba in 2018 will face disciplinary proceedings next month.

Vancouver Const. Mark Simms and Port Moody Const. Jordan Long were held in Cuba in March of 2018, after Simms was accused of engaging in sexual activity with a 17-year-old girl from Ontario who had been vacationing in the same resort town.

Long was held as a material witness in the case.

The men maintained their innocence, and pointed to a lack of evidence and problems with the Cuban legal system.

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The pair was acquitted after eight months andd allowed to return home in January 2019.

At that point, B.C.’s municipal police watchdog, the Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner, ordered a code of conduct investigation, which was conducted by B.C. RCMP.

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That review determined there was enough evidence for a discipline hearing in B.C. on allegations of discreditable conduct.

The proceedings have been scheduled to commence July 8 and will be headed by Metro Vancouver Transit Police Chief Dave Jones.

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Jones will be tasked with setting a schedule for the hearings, which are not open to the public, could result in a range of disciplinary actions up to and including dismissal, according to the commissioner.

The watchdog said if it disagrees with Jones’ findings, it can appoint a retired judge to review the matter anew.

The Vancouver Police Department declined to comment, while the Port Moody Police Department has not yet returned a request for comment.

The Police Act in B.C. states that discreditable misconduct occurs when an officer, whether on or off duty, “conducts oneself in a manner that the member knows, or ought to know, would be likely to bring discredit on the municipal police department.”

– With files from Jon Azpiri