A series of vulgar messages shared between Waterloo Regional Police officers was made public Wednesday – and one officer may lose his job over the notes.
Jeff Vongkhamphou, appeared Wednesday at a disciplinary hearing, where he pleaded guilty to 10 counts of discreditable conduct, one count of neglect of duty and one count of committing deceit.
Vongkhamphou was convicted criminally of obstruction of justice last year.
He has admitted to taking items, including nude photos, out of the alleged locker of a colleague, Const. Christopher Knox – who has himself been found guilty of obstruction of justice and breach of trust for an incident in which he stole photos of a man who had called police for assistance and his girlfriend.
As those and other cases unfolded, information came to light about a BlackBerry Messenger group used by seven officers to trade information and gossip about citizens they encountered while responding to calls.
At Wednesday’s hearing, details of just what was contained in the messages sent to the group were made public.
In one case, Vongkhamphou responded to a woman’s call for help on Lancaster Street in Kitchener.
Another incident saw Vongkhamphou warned to stop writing inappropriate comments on a police station whiteboard, then write “Smells like Vonger’s ethnic ass” and post a photo of it to the BBM group captioned “Take that whistle lips you flat faced c***”.
He took photos of the woman, then shared them with the BBM group – calling the woman “repulsive” and including captions, censored by CTV News, such as “Holy f***!!!!!!!!!” and “I’d rather suck a c***””.
Sgt. Bruce Tucker, president of the Waterloo Regional Police Association, calls the comments the worst he’s heard in more than 35 years of local policing.
“I’m disappointed in these officers,” he says.
“This service and our members will have to work harder to build back that respect that we so justly deserve.”
Insp. Kevin Thaler calls the comments “reprehensible”, but says the disciplinary process must still play out.
“Of course the public are shocked. So are our members. But we have to respect the fact that there’s still a hearing ongoing,” he says.
A sentencing hearing must still take place, with a Waterloo Regional Police superintendent ultimately determining Vongkhamphou’s fate.
Lawyer David Butt, who represents Vongkhamphou, says he will recommend a lesser punishment for his client.
“We’ll be taking issue with the penalty of dismissal,” he tells CTV News.
A $900,000 lawsuit has been filed against Vonghkamphou, Knox and a third officer by a citizen in relation to one of the incidents at issue.
Criminal or Police Act charges have been laid against a total of seven officers in connection with the BBM group.
Three of those cases, including Vongkhamphou’s, remain before courts and tribunals.
