A four-year veteran of the London Police Service has been docked 70 hours of pay for ordering unauthorized background checks and bail checks on the then-wife of a close friend.
Const. Stephan Williams had an agreed statement of facts read at a recent hearing, after pleading guilty to two counts of discreditable conduct and one count of neglect of duty under the Police Services Act last month.
At some point between February 27, 2017 and March 30, 2017, Const. Williams provided a childhood friend with a draft message to assist him in his desire to stop unwanted communications from Andrea Agora, who was the spouse of Williams' friend at the time. The husband later sought advice from Williams on how to gain custody of his child. Constable Williams failed to make any notes regarding these conversations, which is required under police procedure.
Agora was charged on March 30, 2017 with Harassing Telecommunications and released on bail. Williams later contacted two other London Police Service officers and requested that a bail check be conducted on the Agora to ensure she was abiding by the terms of release. Williams did not report the conflict of interest to his supervisors or document the bail check request, which is also required on police procedure.
It was also found that Williams ran multiple unauthorized and improper computer checks on the complainant through both the Canadian Police Information Centre and the London Police Service Records Management System.
"The negative implications suffered by Ms. Agora are serious and her trust in the police will very likely suffer permanent damage," the disposition decision stated. "Constable Williams has compromised the public trust."
However, in his sentencing decision, hearings officer Robert Fitches said, "Williams’ early plea and cooperation with the prosecutor in coming to a resolution of these matters without a hearing suggests very strongly that he is taking responsibility for his actions."
Fitches added that this also suggests Williams has a strong likelihood of reform and rehabilitation.
