Discipline of former VPD officer being reviewed
Posted November 15, 2012 2:17 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – A former Vancouver police officer initially cleared of any criminal wrongdoing in an excessive use of force hearing is not off the hook just yet. The Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner has ordered a review on the record.
Constable Thomas Driscoll is no longer with the VPD but in December 2010, he was accused of striking a suspect repeatedly on the arm during an arrest, in which it’s alleged he broke the man’s skin.
Rollie Woods with the OPCC says an initial hearing by a senior officer and the department found Driscoll’s actions did not warrant a criminal charge, only discipline. “That was a written reprimand and training,” he says. “The commissioner, though, after reviewing all the evidence, decided that he thought that discipline was not appropriate.”
The case will now be reviewed by a retired judge who will decide if further action should be taken. Even though Driscoll is no longer with the force, any decision sets a precedent.
“This officer has already resigned from the Vancouver Police Department,” Woods adds. “But the process still proceeds and it’s important to have a record of what the discipline would be had [the officer] still been a member.”
A date for the review has not been set.
