British Columbia's police inspector says it is investigating the apparent suicide of a Vancouver Island police officer who was found dead shortly after being accused of sexual misconduct.
BC's Independent Investigations Office (IIO) said Wednesday it was called to the scene of a dead man in a rural area near Shawnigan Lake, about 30 kilometers northwest of Victoria, BC, according to what appeared to be a self-inflicted death. IIO.
He was one of two Central Saanich police officers arrested and charged with sexual misconduct Tuesday following an investigation by the Bureau of Investigation's Vancouver Police Department.
Multiple police sources say one of the two men — 43-year-old Matthew Ball — died later that day by suicide.
The IIO has now launched an investigation into what happened leading up to and during the officer's death.
The Vancouver Police Union criticizes the handling of the case
VPD Deputy Chief Fiona Wilson said at a news conference Tuesday that Ball and Const. Ryan Johnston, 40, allegedly had separate “intimate” and “inappropriate” relationships with the same woman in his mid-20s.
Ball was charged with one count of sexual assault and one count of breach of trust for the alleged offenses that occurred between February 1, 2019 and October 31, 2023.
Johnston faces a single count of sexual assault for alleged offenses that occurred between February 6, 2020, and March 8, 2020.
Wilson said the charges the two officers face are “deeply corrosive to the public trust police officers depend on to keep their communities safe.”
His comments prompted a response from Vancouver Police Union President Ralph Kaisers, who in a December 18 letter to union members called Wilson's language “highly accusatory” and would affect officer morale, undermine trust in the police and undermine the presumption of innocence. The accused officers.
“Describing the allegations as 'deeply corrosive to public trust' before any trial or conviction has occurred not only prejudices the case, but also casts a shadow over the entire law enforcement community who are working diligently and with integrity to serve their communities,” the letter, obtained by The Canadian Press, says.
It said the news release issued by the police “goes beyond what is necessary to inform the public and speaks language that risks undermining the presumption of innocence – a fundamental principle of our justice system.”
Kaisers added that the loss of a fellow officer underscores the urgent need for police agencies across BC to practice what they preach when it comes to a trauma-informed approach.
“We can and must do better,” his letter reads.
The former public safety minister has demanded an investigation
Former B.C. public safety minister and former West Vancouver police chief Kash Head said he has read Kaiser's letter, and agrees with the police union chief's take on the situation.
“I think he's expressing the sentiments of a lot of people in the police profession,” Head said.
Two police officers were arrested on Dec. 17 on charges of sexual misconduct in B.C. By December 18, according to police sources, one officer had apparently committed suicide. According to police, an investigation into the officers began in October 2023. Former solicitor general and police officer Kash Head says he has questions about how the investigation was conducted.
Head said it was a “very traumatic situation” for the alleged sexual assault victim and the officers accused in the case, and that no one was “downplaying” the seriousness of the crimes involved.
“Mistakes were made with regard to the health and welfare of police officers who ended their careers almost immediately as a result of the allegations against them and what happened next,” he said.
“It appears that adequate safeguards were not put in place for the health and well-being of these officers.”
He said the investigation into Ball's death is expected to examine all agencies, including the Central Saanich Police Service, where the deceased officer worked, the Vancouver Police Department, which investigated, the provincial Ministry of Public Safety and the Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner.
Vancouver police media relations officer Const. Tania Visintin directed questions about Kaiser's letter to the Vancouver Police Union, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
