Former Regional Police Constable releases 93-page report calling for change in policing

A former Waterloo Regional Police officer is calling for change in policing locally and around the country.

Kelly Donovan resigned from the Waterloo Regional Police Service in June after she says she brought forward a number of issues surrounding ethics in policing locally and how a police service investigates its own members.

Donovan says she brought forward what she calls “very valid concerns” to the police services board and says her allegations were suppressed. Since then, Donovan says the service “has been more interested in attacking my credibility than acknowledging that these problems exist.”

Donovan has written a 93-page report about “the systemic misfeasance in police management and coordinated suppression of whistleblowers”. The report has been sent to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, past and current local police chiefs and high ranking officers locally.

The full report can be found at www.fit4duty.ca

She adds she’s not part of the current class action lawsuit against Waterloo Regional Police.

In early June, two officers and a retired officer launched legal action citing discrimination, sexual harassment, and sexual assault.

Donovan is the Founder and President of “Fit4Duty.” She tells The Mike Farwell Show she was a Cambridge constable for six years before leaving last month.

Donovan says she got exposed to headquarter business in the last two years and says “that really opened her eyes.”

Donovan says there is no policy in place to handle an internal investigation. Members also can’t make a complaint internally.

In regards to the report released by Donovan, Regional Police have released the following statement:

“The Waterloo Regional Police Service has just been made aware of this report through the media and, therefore, is unable to speak to the opinions expressed in it. However, we want to highlight that police oversight, accountability and transparency are the hallmarks of policing in Waterloo Region, as well as in Ontario and Canada. We are, and have long been, committed to building a strong workplace where all of our members thrive. We are extremely proud of our members, whose hard work and dedication to Waterloo Region is showcased daily throughout the community. The WRPS is an integral partner in supporting the advancement of police modernization and has endorsed the recent recommendations of Justice Tulloch, which call on the provincial government to invest, modernize and support enhanced police oversight in the province.  Ontario continues to be a leader in policing, with more than 25 years of independent oversight and an acknowledgment that our system requires change as it continues to evolve. Locally, the WPRS is actively involved in significant transformation as we work to advance policing and focus on member engagement and empowerment. Provincially, the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police has been at the forefront of modernization, change and promoting civilian oversight.”