Two Vancouver police officers were suspended after being caught on video in February of 2021 posing with a body that washed up on the shore of Third Beach in Stanley Park.
The incident was caught on video by Zachary Ratcliffe when he was out for a walk near the popular beach and spotted the body. In the footage he notes the two Vancouver Police Department (VPD) officers near the body. Police stated at the time they were waiting for the coroner to arrive. The video shows one officer walking near the body and posing for a photo.
"The brazen nature of the fact they thought it was OK to publicly and openly take pictures of one another in front of a deceased person, to me, seemed insensitive and conduct unbecoming a police officer," Ratcliffe told media at the time.
The Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner (OPCC) was asked to be a part of the investigation.
"That investigation, which was completed by the VPD, determined that the officers’ conduct in these circumstances constituted misconduct, specifically Discreditable Conduct. The VPD imposed a period of suspension as a disciplinary measure," writes Deputy Police Complaint Commissioner Andrea Spindler in an email to Vancouver Is Awesome.
All suspensions under the Police Act are without pay.
The OPCC reviewed the matter and it's now concluded, she adds.
The VPD says the two have received and served their discipline in an email to Vancouver Is Awesome.
With files from the Canadian Press
