On Christmas Day in 2019, while on vacation, Const. Ron Kirkwood volunteered to assist his colleagues with the Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team during a high-risk incident in downtown Victoria. The call involved a barricaded individual armed with a knife. It was an unpredictable and dangerous situation that tragically ended in the death of Lisa Rauch.
What followed has been its own kind of tragedy: an investigative and disciplinary process that has now stretched more than five and a half years. After three separate reviews, including by the Independent Investigations Office (IIO), the Vancouver Police Department, and a retired judge in a Review on the Record, each found no misconduct. The Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner (OPCC) nonetheless ordered a fourth review in the form of a public hearing. Only then, after repeated examination over several years, did an allegation of abuse of authority against Sgt. Kirkwood become substantiated.
This outcome, reached only after prolonged and redundant scrutiny, has inflicted immeasurable mental, emotional, and professional harm on Sgt. Kirkwood and his family. The discipline decision, a 7-day suspension, cannot possibly justify the toll this process has taken.
We also must recognize and emphasize that the family and loved ones of Lisa Rauch have suffered deeply, not only from Lisa’s death but also from the unbearable delay in receiving clarity and finality. They too have waited more than five years for answers and closure. The system failed them as well.
This was not justice. This was torment for everyone involved.
The investigation into Sgt. Kirkwood dragged on for nearly six years. During that time, he endured constant uncertainty, invasive public scrutiny, and enormous psychological strain. For a police officer who stepped forward on Christmas Day to support his community, the personal cost of service has been devastating. This drawn-out process, marked by bureaucratic delay and procedural repetition, represents a failure to meet even the most basic standards of fairness and decency.
Most concerning is the OPCC’s complete lack of acknowledgment of the mental health impact on Sgt. Kirkwood. In a time when mental health is rightly regarded as a key priority in policing and in society more broadly, the indifference shown by a body entrusted with oversight is deeply troubling. There has been no indication that the system learned anything from the harm it caused or that it would do anything differently in the future.
Let us be clear: we fully support the principle of independent civilian oversight. Accountability is essential to maintaining public trust. However, that oversight must be timely, balanced, and conducted with basic respect for the individuals affected. What happened in this case should be viewed as a case study in how not to uphold those principles.
The public hearing convened by the OPCC, which came at significant taxpayer expense, led to a finding by adjudicator Wally Oppal of abuse of authority. This decision stands in sharp contrast to the three previous investigations. That discrepancy raises serious concerns about the consistency and fairness of the complaints process. It undermines confidence not only in the result of this particular case but also in the legitimacy of the entire oversight regime.
The damage here is not abstract. It is personal. Sgt. Kirkwood has suffered. His family has suffered. Lisa Rauch’s family has suffered. The broader public, who rely on a fair and functional police oversight system, have every reason to question whether justice was truly served.
A process that causes more harm than it prevents, that prioritizes procedural form over timely resolution, and that subjects all parties to needless delay and distress is not a just process. It is a system in urgent need of reform.
This should never happen again.
Angela Van Eerd, president
Victoria City Police Union
