2 Vancouver police officers suspended without pay after taking photos next to a body

Two Vancouver police officers were suspended without pay after one was caught taking photos of the other posing next to a body at Third Beach, Global News has learned.

The disturbing incident in February saw both officers reassigned to non-deployable positions, as the Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner (OPCC) launched an investigation.

Sources have confirmed the OPCC ordered the temporary suspensions as a reprimand for what the office deemed “discreditable conduct.”

“I think it’s a satisfactory outcome. It shows the police disown this type of behaviour,” said Zac Ratcliffe, who saw the two officers “laughing and joking” near the body on Feb. 24.

“It was just an absolutely surprising thing to witness and I’m glad they’re receiving some type of condemnation from the police.”

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The officers should also have received some kind of sensitivity training, he added, “because it seems ludicrous they think it could be acceptable to take a photo” next to the body.

2:06 Conduct of VPD members under investigation after actions caught on camera by bystander

By email, the Vancouver Police Department declined to confirm the specific disciplinary actions ordered by the OPCC for the officers.

“The two members have received and served the discipline handed down by the OPCC,” a spokesperson wrote.

In an annual report released last month, the OPCC said it saw an increase in complaints about police conduct in B.C. this year. The majority — 53 per cent per cent — were about the VPD.