‘Deeply concerning’: police officers accused of stealing, interfering with crime scenes

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This article was published 07/11/2024 (328 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Two senior police officers and a recent recruit are accused of abusing their positions of power while patrolling the streets of Winnipeg, and face charges that range from theft to interfering with a crime scene.

The Winnipeg Police Service announced details Thursday about an internal investigation into breaches of trust and related allegations involving three members.

Const. Elston Bostock, Const. Matthew Kadyniuk and Const. Jonathan Kiazyk have been put on paid leave. The men are all general patrol officers.

Bostock — who was awarded an exemplary service medal by the Governor General of Canada in June — is alleged to have committed wrongdoing alone and with colleagues over the last two years.

The accusations, which undermine the heart of the administration of justice, are “crushing,” said Zane Tessler, who oversaw Manitoba’s police watchdog for a decade prior to his 2023 retirement.

“The violation of the trust between employee-employer, between police officers and members of the public is devastating and it takes years to rebuild that trust again,” the former civilian director of the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba told the Free Press.

Deputy police chief Gene Bowers told a news conference Thursday he was unaware of a precedent for the trio of police arrests that took place one day earlier, and an investigation is ongoing.

“The arrest of three of our members is deeply concerning to me and the Winnipeg Police Service as a whole,” Bowers said, flanked by Supt. Cam Mackid at the police force’s downtown headquarters.

Bostock, 47, has been a police officer for 21 years. He is accused of wrongdoing on and off duty over an extended period of time.

The officer is accused of disclosing confidential information, obstructing justice, obstructing police investigations and theft between Oct. 22, 2022 and Nov. 2, 2024.

He has been charged with a total of four counts of breach of trust, two counts of obstructing justice and one count each of being unlawfully in a dwelling house, obstructing a police officer and theft under $5,000.

Court records show Bostock has been the subject of at least two garnishment orders in 2021 and 2022, totaling $1,078, in relation to three speeding tickets.

In 2017, court also heard he was drunk while riding in the passenger seat with another off-duty officer around 3:20 a.m. on March 12, 2016, when they sped down an icy residential street and crashed, hitting a fire hydrant and tearing up front yards in North Kildonan. The motorist later pleaded guilty to careless driving and received a $500 fine.

Kadyniuk, 32, has been an officer for two years. He has been charged with one count each of theft under $5,000 and breach of trust.

“The arrest of three of our members is deeply concerning to me and the Winnipeg Police Service as a whole.”–Deputy police chief Gene Bowers

Kiazyk, 46, an officer for 18 years, has been charged with breach of trust, obstructing a police officer and being unlawfully in a dwelling house.

Police allege that on or around Oct. 22, 2022, Kiazyk and Bostock unlawfully entered a house that was under police investigation on the 300 block of Stradbrook Street. The duo is accused of obstructing an active investigation.

More recently, about three weeks ago, Kadyniuk and Bostock are alleged to have stolen money while on duty for the WPS east district, police said. The latter incident is believed to have taken place Oct. 17, 2024.

Last fall, Kiazyk was called to testify during an inquest into the unrelated deaths of five men who were restrained by police in 2018 and 2019.

On Oct. 26, 2018, Kiazyk was sent to a call about a man acting erratically on railway property. Patrick Gagnon, 41, went into cardiac arrest while being taken into custody and later died in hospital.

Citing the status of the investigation against the three officers, the deputy police chief did not comment on suspected motive, whether any cases have been reopened as a result of the charges or if additional officers have been implicated.

Bowers would not say how or exactly when the WPS became aware of an initial allegation of breach of trust that sparked their investigation. It was in “early 2024,” he noted.

The oversight agency that investigates all serious incidents involving on- and off-duty officers was alerted of the WPS professional standards unit investigation on May 7.

The IIU then took over the probe and requested assistance from standards officers.

The accused officers have been released on undertakings. Their jobs will be reviewed by the police chief at the end of the investigation.

When the above is complete, there will be an evaluation to determine if there are “potential gaps” in status-quo systems to deter and spot employee wrongdoing, Bowers said.

“The violation of the trust between employee-employer, between police officers and members of the public is devastating and it takes years to rebuild that trust again.”–Zane Tessler

Asked about how WPS will rebuild public trust, he indicated the police force acted immediately and is sharing information — including a 2022 incident, which speaks to the thoroughness of the investigation — to be transparent.

Cory Wiles, president of the Winnipeg Police Association, declined to comment on the cases.

“There is a process in place here and a matter that will be before the courts, so it would not be appropriate for me to speak about any details,” Wiles said via text.

Justice Minister Matt Wiebe also said he was unable to comment on the allegations that have not been proven in court.

Coun. Markus Chambers (St. Norbert), chairman of the police board, did not respond to a request for comment before deadline.

There were 1,366 police officers employed by the WPS in 2023.

— with files from Erik Pindera, Dean Pritchard and Carol Sanders

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca