Cranbrook is down one RCMP officer after a member resigned from the force following his arrest for theft under $5,000.

RCMP Chief Superintendent Mike Sekela announced Jan. 31 that after a Code of Conduct Investigation Cst. Bryden Hennessey has resigned from the force and will appear in court Feb. 6 to face the charge.

“In early December Mr. Hennessey submitted his resignation. His resignation was accepted by the Commanding Officer and is irrevocable. He will never work for the RCMP again,” Sekela stated during an afternoon press conference at the East Kootenay Traffic Services office.

Senior Cranbrook area officers began a Code of Conduct investigation in October 2011, regarding the handling of property seized while the officer was on duty. The three week investigation led to the criminal charge against Hennessey, a member of the force since 2001 and posted in Cranbrook since 2007.

After the investigation Hennessey’s “gun and badge were seized” and he was “suspended from duty and served with a Notice of Stoppage of Pay,” Sekela said. The investigation showed that Hennessey had allegedly stolen a laptop computer from a pawn shop, he explained. A complaint of a missing laptop by the pawnshop owner led to the investigation.

Sekera said the RCMP is disappointed and troubled by the results of the investigation.

“I have stated before that allegations of misconduct by our members are extremely troubling. Troubling to the public and troubling to me,” he said. “But it also troubling to the over 9,000 RCMP employees in B.C. who have the highest moral and ethical standards. While disappointing, this case was handled decisively and promptly and is consistent with the manner in which incidents of this nature, should they occur, will be handled in the future.”

Above photo: Cranbrook RCMP media relations officer Cpl. Pat Prefontaine, left, and Chief Superintendent Mike Sekela conduct the Jan. 31 press conference.

Ian Cobb/e-KNOW

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