Durham Region police deputy chief retires after misconduct finding: police board
Written by The Canadian Press on July 27, 2026
A Durham Region police deputy chief will retire after the police board said Monday that an investigation by a watchdog agency found he committed misconduct by using a “racially inappropriate” term.
The Durham Regional Police Service Board said it has agreed with deputy chief Chris Kirkpatrick that their “employment relationship be concluded.”
In a statement posted on social media Monday, the board said Kirkpatrick will not be returning to work and is retiring from the police service east of Toronto.
It said the decision was made after “careful review and deliberation” of an investigation by the Law Enforcement Complaints Agency that determined Kirkpatrick’s actions amounted to misconduct under the Community Safety and Policing Act.
The statement did not specify what actions were investigated by the watchdog.
But the board later referred The Canadian Press to a statement released in February that said Kirkpatrick would be investigated by a third party for allegedly using a “racially inappropriate term” in an internal meeting.
The police force had said that a deputy chief had been suspended after using the unspecified term during a meeting of its Afro-Caribbean Canadian Internal Support Network. It did not name the deputy chief at the time.
However, police confirmed Monday that the deputy chief who was suspended was Kirkpatrick.
The police board’s statement said it remains “deeply committed to fostering an inclusive workplace and culture, and to ensuring that the DRPS reflects and respects the diverse communities it serves.”
“These values are fundamental to how this service operates and how it earns the trust of the public every day.”
The board said it cannot share the watchdog’s reports because they are confidential.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 27, 2026.
Sharif Hassan, The Canadian Press