Public hearing for VPD sergeant accused of sexual misconduct to start in April
Posted March 28, 2025 12:05 pm.
The Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner says the public hearing into sexual misconduct allegations against a Vancouver Police Department sergeant is set to begin next month.
The hearing is the first-ever open session after legislation changes allowed the OPCC to call a public hearing in the disciplinary process.
The OPCC says the allegations against Sgt. Keiron McConnell relate to his conduct toward seven women, including police officers and former students when he was an instructor at Royal Roads and Kwantlen Polytechnic universities.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO 1130 NEWSRADIO VANCOUVER LIVE!In a statement in June of last year, the OPCC said the commissioner determined that the nature of the allegations merit the office’s first public hearing following legislative changes that cleared the path for such an inquiry earlier in the police discipline process.
The commissioner at the time noted that using a power imbalance for a sexual purpose not only harms those directly affected, but also negatively impacts the integrity of policing and the public’s confidence in police.
The hearing will begin on April 7, continuing through until May 8. Retired Provincial Court Judge and former Chief Judge Carol Baird Ellan has been appointed at the hearing’s adjudicator.
The allegations against McConnell, a Vancouver police officer for 33 years, have not been proven.
With files from The Canadian Press.
