‘Unwritten rule’ raises integrity questions about all WPS officers, erodes public trust

A former Winnipeg Police Service officer awaiting sentencing on an extraordinary catalogue of crimes has told a psychologist that fixing traffic tickets was commonplace within the force — an “unwritten rule” dating back to when he joined in 2003.

That claim was echoed in a Free Press story in November by a retired officer and supported by recorded conversations in court evidence released this week.

Together, they raise a question that can no longer be brushed aside: was ticket fixing tolerated, normalized or quietly ignored inside the WPS for years? And, more importantly, does it still occur today?

If the answer might be yes, then the response cannot be limited to internal meetings, integrity reminders or statements about how most officers do the right thing. Winnipeg — and Manitoba — deserve an independent investigation.

Elston Bostock, 49, is no marginal figure. He was a Winnipeg police officer for more than two decades. He has pleaded guilty to a host of offences, including obstructing justice, trafficking drugs, theft and disseminating confidential information. Crown prosecutors are seeking a seven-year prison sentence.

Among his many abuses of power, Bostock repeatedly interfered with traffic enforcement. On 22 occasions between 2017 and 2024, he attempted to have tickets that had been issued to friends and associates voided, succeeding 12 times. It was often done in exchange for liquor or gift cards.

On its own, that is serious corruption. But what elevates this case into something much bigger is what Bostock said ahead of sentencing.

According to psychologist David Hill, Bostock reported that when he started policing, officers getting rid of tickets for others was simply part of the culture — an “unwritten rule.” He knew it was wrong, Hill wrote, but minimized it in his mind.

That assertion matters, because it suggests Bostock did not invent this behaviour. He stepped into it.

In a recorded phone call intercepted by investigators, Bostock urged another officer to help make a speeding ticket disappear by going to court and persuading the Crown to drop it. When the officer said he had never done that before, Bostock reassured him: “It works.” He added that prosecutors are overloaded and “don’t really care.”

That exchange is striking, not only for what it proposes, but for how casually it is discussed.

Then there is the testimony of a recently retired officer who told the Free Press that ticket fixing had been pervasive throughout the WPS for years. Bottles of liquor flowed through the traffic unit, the officer said, gifted as thanks for cancelled tickets.

“It’s been common since the beginning of time,” the retired cop said.

These are not fringe voices. They are insiders, speaking independently, describing the same behaviour across decades.

It is tempting — and institutionally convenient — to frame Bostock as a singular villain, a “sacrificial lamb” whose removal solves the problem. But that narrative collapses under scrutiny. Corruption on this scale does not flourish unless systems fail to detect it, challenge it or take it seriously early on.

Ticket fixing may sound minor next to drug trafficking or crime-scene interference, but it cuts straight to the heart of policing legitimacy. Traffic enforcement is one of the most common ways citizens encounter police authority. When tickets can be quietly erased for people with the right connections, the message is unmistakable: the law is flexible for some and rigid for others.

Zane Tessler, former director of Manitoba’s Independent Investigation Unit, put it bluntly when describing police ticket fixing: officers were “basically selling their services for a $20 coffee card.” He warned that when people get away with little things, misconduct can snowball.

Bostock’s career illustrates that danger. What may have started as normalized favour-doing escalated into leaking confidential police information, trafficking drugs and stealing cash during an integrity test.

Police Chief Gene Bowers has described Bostock’s actions as “deeply concerning” and emphasized that most officers serve with integrity and respect. That is likely true. But it is also insufficient. Public trust is not rebuilt by assurances alone — especially when evidence suggests misconduct may have been systemic.

If ticket fixing were rare, it would not be described as an unwritten rule. It would not be corroborated by a retired officer. It would not appear so casually in recorded conversations.

When police credibility erodes, the justice system erodes with it.

What is required now is transparency and independence. An arm’s-length investigation — with the power to compel evidence, review ticket records and examine who knew what, and when — is the only way to restore confidence. Internal reviews, however well-intentioned, cannot answer these questions credibly on their own.

Honest officers deserve a service that enforces ethical standards consistently. The public deserves assurance that the law is not for sale — whether for liquor, gift cards or a friendly phone call.

It deserves a police service that operates with integrity and follows the rule of law.

tom.brodbeck@freepress.mb.ca

Tom Brodbeck
Columnist

Tom Brodbeck is an award-winning author and columnist with over 30 years experience in print media. He joined the Free Press in 2019. Born and raised in Montreal, Tom graduated from the University of Manitoba in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and commerce. Read more about Tom.

Tom provides commentary and analysis on political and related issues at the municipal, provincial and federal level. His columns are built on research and coverage of local events. The Free Press’s editing team reviews Tom’s columns before they are posted online or published in print – part of the Free Press’s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.