OttawaAn advocate for Ontario police officers and a professor who studies law enforcement accountability say the Kingston Police Service Board owes it to the public and members of the force to provide an update on the suspension of Deputy Chief Matt Funnell.Lack of information erodes public trust, hurts morale, say professor and police advocateDan Taekema · CBC News · Posted: Nov 25, 2025 4:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 4 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Kingston Police Deputy Chief Matt Funnell is shown speaking with reporters in October 2023. Funnell was suspended roughly a year ago, but few details about the situation have been shared. (Dan Taekema/CBC)For nearly a year, Kingston Police Deputy Chief Matt Funnell has been suspended with pay, but the public hasn’t been told why.His suspension was first reported by a local newspaper in early December 2024, and there have been no updates since.In a statement to CBC, Gail MacAllister, the newly appointed chair of the Kingston Police Service Board (KPSB), declined to comment. “As it is a personnel matter, I want to ensure that the law, privacy and respect is preserved, therefore, at this time I cannot comment on anything, including the timeframe,” she wrote in an email.An organization that advocates for police, and a professor who studies accountability and oversight of law enforcement, said that’s not good enough.”What’s going on? What takes a year to investigate?” asked Mark Baxter, president of the Police Association of Ontario.The lack of communication only fuels speculation and hurts morale, he added.”For the board to say absolutely nothing in a year? It’s not acceptable.”Police association sees ‘double standard’Baxter pointed out that since Funnell’s suspension, civilian and sworn members of Kingston Police have been investigated and details have been made public.”What we’re seeing here is the suspension of a deputy chief has remained shrouded in secrecy,” he said, urging the KPSB to say something. “That double standard erodes confidence in police leadership.”Funnell was suspended just three months after being promoted to the position.The former KPSB chair described the matter as “confidential.” He would not say when the suspension began, nor whether it involved charges under the Police Services Act or the Criminal Code.Funnell, left, speaks during a Kingston Police Services Board meeting on Oct. 19, 2023. (Dan Taekema/CBC)Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit, which probes incidents involving police that result in serious injury, death or allegations of sexual assault, told CBC it is not involved in the matter. Contacted this month, staff at both the Ontario and Superior Court of Justice in Kingston could find no record of a case involving Funnell.CBC sent messages to Funnell’s Kingston Police email address, but did not receive a response. Attempts to reach him by phone were also unsuccessful.Funnell’s profile as part of Kingston Police’s executive leadership remained on the force’s website as of Monday evening. Ontario’s Sunshine List listed his title as deputy chief and said he earned $226,724 in 2024. The Kingston Police Association, which represents officers, did not directly address the reason for Funnell’s suspension, but criticized the prolonged process.”Lengthy internal investigations and extended suspensions, regardless of rank, create uncertainty, affect morale, and place added pressure on front-line resources,” wrote president Darcy Pettie in an email. “We encourage processes that are timely, fair and transparent.”Unfair to public, officers or FunnellShortly after the deputy chief’s removal made headlines, Kingston Mayor Bryan Paterson, who sits on the police board, told reporters more information would be coming.Contacted Monday, a spokesperson for Paterson’s office echoed the response from the current KPSB chair, describing the situation as a “personnel matter” and declining comment.Kingston Police headquarters at 705 Division St. (Dan Taekema/CBC)Baxter, the Police Association of Ontario president, said there are good reasons to protect someone’s privacy while an investigation is underway, but said failing to share any information after a year erodes trust and hurts the officer involved.”It’s not fair to them, it’s not fair to the community, it’s not fair to their co-workers,” said Baxter.Public trust hard to build, easy to loseErick Laming, a Trent University professor whose research focuses on police accountability and oversight, said internal police matters — especially those involving management — can stretch on for years and sometimes end with a retirement rather than an explanation.”A year is a long time,” he said, adding the KPSB must be held accountable for that, and for refusing to share even the barest detail.Erick Laming is a Trent University professor whose work focuses on police accountability and oversight. (Submitted by Erick Laming)For example, a police board should be able to state whether it’s a criminal matter and an outside police force is investigating, he said.”I don’t want to say it’s suspect, but it does really hurt your transparency efforts,” Laming said.”It can take a long time to build public trust, and it can be really easy to mismanage public trust.”ABOUT THE AUTHORDan Taekema is CBC’s reporter covering Kingston, Ont. and the surrounding area. He’s worked in newsrooms in Chatham, Windsor, Hamilton, Toronto and Ottawa. You can reach him by emailing daniel.taekema@cbc.ca.Follow @DanTaekema on Twitter
Kingstons deputy police chief was suspended nearly a year ago. No one will say why
