Rebuilding trust in a police force

Trust, said writer and educator Stephen R. Covey, is the glue of life.

“It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication,” says the author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. “It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships.”

And trust is also, lamentably, something that is in short supply these days when it comes to the public’s perception of the Winnipeg Police Service. Owing to what seems like a non-stop series of news stories about its officers’ various procedural missteps and/or criminally corrupt misbehaviours, the WPS finds itself in the unenviable position of having shattered the public trust on which its credibility and, indeed, its very existence as a law enforcement agency depends.

As a result, the service that in 2010 proudly emblazoned the motto “Building Relationships” on the side of its cruisers must embark on a from-square-one process of restoring its reputation.

This month alone, the pages of this newspaper have carried reports from two trials in which current or former members of the WPS faced charges of mishandling evidence, obstructing investigations, breach of trust or outright theft while on the job.

Former constable Matthew Kadyniuk pleaded guilty to one count each of theft under $5,000 and breach of trust, after being caught in a sting operation focused on suspected corruption within the WPS. He was sentenced last week to two years less a day of house arrest.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Kiazyk, an 18-year veteran of the service, is on trial for breaking and entering with intent to steal, obstructing a police officer and breach of trust. Closing arguments were presented last week in his trial; the judge’s verdict is expected on June 2.

Both cases are related to the earlier high-profile investigation of former WPS officer Elston Bostock, who in January was sentenced to seven years in federal prison after pleading guilty to numerous offences, including selling drugs, voiding traffic tickets and providing confidential information to criminal associates.

The judge who delivered Bostock’s sentence called it “a dark day for public confidence in the administration of justice.” In the aftermath, WPS Chief Gene Bowers reiterated that “the trust the public has in the police is paramount,” and laid out several steps the service has taken to begin the process of removing the tarnish from its reputation, including improvements in leadership training, heightened officer accountability and the addition of three investigators to the professional standards unit.

The goal, clearly, is to demonstrate that an unfortunate chapter in the WPS’s history has been brought to a close and that a new direction, marked by a new attitude and a renewed commitment to accountability, has been embarked upon. Leaving the murky entanglements of the scandal behind will, however, be easier said than done.

A fourth WPS officer, Vernon Strutinsky, is also facing charges related to offences (break and enter to commit an indictable offence, and breach of trust) alleged to have occurred while he was partnered with Bostock. That trial will take place later this year, meaning despite whatever improvements have been instituted within the WPS in the months ahead, the public will once again be reminded of its egregious failings.

And that, quite frankly, is as it should be. While it’s no doubt true that, as Bowers asserts, the vast majority of WPS members operate with integrity and dedication, violations of trust such as these cannot and should not be easily left behind. The process of rebuilding public trust in the WPS — should such an achievement even be possible — must necessarily involve constant reflection on how and why that confidence was lost in the first place.

Trust betrayed takes forever to rebuild.