Military Police Unit Public Interest Investigation (MPCC‑2021‑012, MPCC‑2021‑017, MPCC‑2021‑026, MPCC‑2022‑001) - Homepage

MPCC concludes Public Interest Investigation into Four Complaints About a Military Police Unit Leadership’s Handling of Alleged Misconduct by a Member

Ottawa (January 10, 2024) -- The Military Police Complaints Commission (MPCC) has concluded a Public Interest Investigation into four complaints it received related to the handling of an investigation by a Military Police Unit into one of its members.

The case stems from a March 2021 incident, when a Military Police Officer (MPO) who appeared to be intoxicated, was seen leaving a restaurant with the MPO’s children, whom she put in a motor vehicle. Bystanders intervened and civilian police attended the scene who, in turn, contacted the local Military Police Unit.

The MPCC launched a Public Interest Investigation into this file after it received four separate complaints (two interference and two conduct complaints), containing a total of 17 allegations, about the conduct of the Military Police Unit leadership, including that:

• the Military Police Unit chose to proceed with administrative measures, rather than laying charges against the MPO, which indicated preferential treatment towards the member;
• the Military Police Unit interfered in an investigation related to the well-being of the MPO’s children, following a second unrelated incident;
• the Military Police Unit “covered up” for the MPO.

“Following an investigation, the MPCC concluded that the allegations of interference were not substantiated,” wrote MPCC Members Bonita Thornton and Ron Kuban, who co-authored the final reports on the four complaints. The MPCC further found that the Military Police Unit leadership acted within their discretionary authorities and did not attempt to conceal the incident from appropriate authorities, namely, the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service and the Office of Professional Standards, who were notified of the incident in a timely fashion.

The MPCC found one allegation about improper alterations to the investigation file to be partially substantiated and made two recommendations relating to the management of investigation files. “While most of the allegations in the four complaints were found to be not substantiated, the Commission has nonetheless made important recommendations aimed at improving military police investigative procedures, as well as the cohesion and morale of the Military Police Unit in question,” said Chairperson Tammy Tremblay.

The Canadian Forces Provost Marshal (CFPM) accepted the MPCC’s recommendation that, when the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service has declined investigative responsibility for a case, it should outline its reasoning in the file. The CFPM did not accept the MPCC’s recommendation regarding the management of investigation files, citing software limitations. While giving due consideration to the MPCC’s concerns about the Military Police Unit’s morale and cohesion, the CFPM deemed a targeted review of the unit to be unnecessary considering changes in personnel since 2021.

Each of the complaints was dealt with separately and the Commission has issued four final reports in the file. All the final reports are available on the MPCC website.

• Final Report into Complaint MPCC-2021-012
• Final Report into Complaint MPCC-2021-017
• Final Report into Complaint MPCC-2021-026
• Final Report into Complaint MPCC-2022-001

The MPCC chose not to name the subject Military Police Unit to avoid identifying the MPO and her minor children.

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