Vancouver police officers who used ‘reckless’ force in 2016 wellness check to keep their badges

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Two Vancouver police officers found to have been reckless in their use of force during a wellness check five years ago have been disciplined, but won’t lose their badges.

Vladamir Tchaikoun suffered serious injuries in the March 13, 2016 encounter, after constables Eric Ludeman and Neil Logan forced their way into his home, he told an Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner adjudicator.

The two officers had been dispatched to the home to check on a possible domestic assault.

The incident escalated into a violent encounter involving the entire family, and Tchaikoun, his wife and his son were all arrested and taken to jail

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In February, adjudicator Carol Baird Ellan ruled Ludeman had overstepped by entering the home and any force used after that point was reckless. Logan was not found to have unlawfully entered the home, but was found to have used reckless force.

“It is abundantly clear neither Const. Ludeman nor Const. Logan accept any responsibility for their misconduct,” Baird Ellan ruled at the time.

“This was reflected in the way each of them testified (at the public hearing) denying responsibility in the face of clear evidence to the contrary being put to them in cross examination.”

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At a hearing on Friday, Ludeman, the lead on the file, was handed a reduction in rank, the second-most severe penalty available, short of termination.

Logan was handed an eight day suspension.

“How much suffering my family? My son, my family, my daughter, my wife, it’s terrible,” Tchaikoun told Global News.

“My concern is for the public because this could be happen to anyone if he receive such a treatment like me because they acting not professionally at all.”

In addition to the penalties, both officers must complete retraining and will be under supervision while on duty for at least one year.

Ludeman remains on active duty.

Logan was already on suspension and facing multiple criminal charges in two separate investigations, along with a Police Act investigation, which is on pause until the criminal case against him is heard.

— With files from Rumina Daya