Professional Standards
“The moral compass and community conscience from within”
The Professional Standards Office investigates allegations of misconduct against Kingston Police employees. They conduct thorough and detailed investigations and report their findings to the Chief of Police or designate, who then decides on the appropriate disciplinary action.
Police Officers are subject to all the laws of Canada, as well as the Police Services Act (PSA) which governs the conduct of Police Officers while acting in the lawful execution of their duties.
If an Officer is involved in an alleged criminal incident the independent Special Investigations Unit (SIU) assumes responsibility for the investigation. The SIU investigation is always conducted first, and its findings serve to inform the PSA investigation subsequently conducted by Kingston Police Professional Standards.
For non-criminal matters, officers are investigated by Professional Standards, for violations of the PSA. The main difference between the SIU and Professional Standards is that the SIU is concerned with violations of the Criminal Code of Canada, while Professional Standards focuses on accountability and addressing officer conduct outlined in the PSA.
Members of Professional Standards must demonstrate the highest levels of professional integrity such that they are equally trusted by the officers to be fair, and by the public to hold officers to account for their actions. In addition to their investigative and advisory roles, Professional Standards provides quality assurance in adherence to the tactics, techniques and procedures employed by the Kingston Police.
See our Compliments and Complaints page to learn how you can give a compliment or make a complaint regarding any of our members.
Do you have what it takes?
Successful applicants for Professional Standards must have a strong investigative background. They must have expertise in writing succinct reports on complex issues to accurately inform the Chief of Police of the investigation they have conducted. They also need to be fair and impartial to build and maintain trust and confidence with both the public and the employees of Kingston Police.
Candidates must be either a Sergeant or Staff Sergeant with no less than 15 years of investigatory experience.