Vancouver Cop Commits Suicide After Inappropriate Relationship Complaints Against 2 Senior Officers

A female police officer in Vancouver, Canada took her own life earlier this year after filing a report against two senior officers she entered relationships with at different times.

Vancouver Police constable Nicole Chan, who served nine years with the Vancouver Police Department before her death, reportedly committed suicide in January amid her struggles with mental health issues and depression.

Her family has since demanded answers from the force, insisting certain possible factors that might have led to her death should be looked into.

The Vancouver Police has been investigating the nature of the relationships between Chan and two superior officers, Sgt. Greg McCullough and Sgt. David Van Patten for months, according to CTV News.

Her family deemed the relationships inappropriate since both officers were of higher rank, and they were in a position of influence and power over the young constable.

Chan had been struggling with anxiety and depression when she made a complaint to the police chief about inappropriate relationships with two senior officers back in 2017, her sister Jenn Chan revealed.

“I believe that she felt pressured into it and she was not in a good mental state to basically tell them no,” Jenn was quoted by Global News as saying. “She felt like she couldn’t say no to them.”

Chan was then put on stress leave for several months and then an internal investigation was launched against the two senior officers.

Based on a document from the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner, the investigation into Sgt. McCullough has concluded, with him receiving a 15-day suspension. Meanwhile, the investigation on Sgt. Van Patten is still ongoing.

McCullough, who has since retired from the force, has been found to have engaged in “discreditable conduct” and is being penalized “for failing to disclose to his managers a relationship with Nicole” and “for entering into a relationship with Nicole knowing that she was in a vulnerable state mentally and emotionally.”

According to Jenn the investigation into the actions of two fellow officers might have made an already painful life even more difficult for her sister.

Jenn claims to be in possession of a journal in which her sister would occasionally write down her thoughts about the ordeal.

“How can I return? No boss would want to work with me,” Chan reportedly wrote in one passage.

“When I read that, I was just like that is how much she was affected,” Jenn shared with CTV. “She wants to go back to work but doesn’t feel comfortable.”

Chan also revealed to Jenn via a detailed text thread in July 2018 that her “mental state is much worse now because of VPD.”

Featured Image via YouTube / CTV News

Share this Article