Kingston's deputy police chief suspended, but board shares few ...

Dan Taekema · CBC News

· Posted: Dec 16, 2024 3:54 PM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

Kingston Police Deputy Chief Matt Funnell has been suspended from his role with the service, according to the chair of the city's police board.

However, few details have been shared about what led up to the situation, first reported by The Kingston Whig-Standard. Funnell was just promoted to the position in September.

"All I can say is that he's been suspended with pay," said Jarrod Stearns, chair of the Kingston Police Services Board (KPSB), during a phone interview with CBC on Monday afternoon.

Stearns said the matter is "confidential" because it's ongoing. He would not comment on when the suspension began, nor whether the matter involved charges under either the Police Services Act or the Criminal Code.

"We will release the outcome once it's finished," said Stearns, adding he has "no idea" when that will be.

A spokesperson for the Special Investigation's Unit, which probes incidents involving police that result in serious injury, death or allegations of sexual assault, said it's in no way involved in the matter.

A representative for Kingston Police directed inquiries about the suspension to the board.

CBC attempted to contact Funnell through his police email address on Monday afternoon, but did not immediately receive a response.

Mark Baxter, president of the Ontario Police Association, criticized the lack of public information about Funnell's suspension.

"Where is the transparency?" he asked in a social media post, adding that when a rank-and-file member of the force is suspended police leadership is "quick to notify the public," but when it's a "Deputy Chief, every is silent?"

"The Kingston Police Services Board needs to release info," Baxter concluded.

Stearns said Funnell's position did not have any bearing on how the situation has been handled.

"It doesn't matter if it's senior management or someone just starting out as a career," said the KPSB chair. "When there's any kind of investigation going on it's confidential."

A profile provided by the police service when Funnell's promotion to deputy chief was announced said he had been an officer in Kingston since 2001.

In a media release at the time, Stearns was quoted as saying the police board was "happy" to promote from within the service's ranks, and described Funnell as having "vast experience with the organization."

Funnell is from eastern Ontario, graduating from Ganaoque Secondary School before beginning his policing career in Carleton Place in 1996, according to a biography posted online by Kingston Police.

It states his career in Kingston involved work as a front-line patrol officer, plus stints in the general investigations and major crime units. He was also a founding member of the Kingston Police cold case investigations unit in 2005.

Funnell's biography adds he spent time as a sergeant and staff sergeant before being promoted to inspector in 2021, when he oversaw units including professional standards and investigative services.