/PG/ Sarnia, Ontario [Canada] (Signal High) —– We acknowledge there is a long-standing tradition in Canada that police officers and other law enforcement personnel (known as Peace Officers) are never really held accountable for their actions. But we wonder at what point the departments that employ these goons, thugs, bullies and gangsters start to see the red flags – and what, if any, action they take.
Constable Sean Van Vlymen of the Sarnia Police Service in Sarnia, Ontario (Canada), might be a good example of red flags. Our attention was drawn to Van Vlymen by a subscriber. He was charged twice inside of a four-month period, once for drunk driving on March 31, 2023, and then again for “assault causing bodily harm” on July 7, 2023. The first charge was laid by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and the second by the Special Investigation Unit (SIU). This is significant. For one police officer to arrest another is highly unusual, and for an SIU investigation to result in a charge is almost unheard of.
So let’s take a moment to look at Canadian law. The punishment for drunk driving, first offence, is a minimum one year suspension of driving privileges, a fine ranging from $1,000 to $5,000, mandatory installation of an ignition interlock device in the offender’s vehicle(s). Mandatory alcohol education and treatment, and (potentially) imprisonment for up to ten years if people were hurt or killed as a result, or if there were altercations with police. The offender is considered a high-risk driver for six years and their insurance rates double or worse. They are often unable to drive company vehicles or rentals and can easily find themselves out of work. If you’re a police officer, it likely means suspension with pay, or what most people call a paid vacation.
In respect to “Assault with a Weapon or Cause bodily harm,” it is a criminal matter and a judge can impose a sentence of up to ten years incarceration. While it is normal for first offenders to receive probation or lesser “in-the-community” punishments, people are still locked up for this. It should be noted that police unions and public safety advocates often criticize the lack of minimum sentencing surrounding this offence.
So Van Vlymen has been charged with two reasonably serious crimes, each with potentially life-altering consequences. Here we are a year later and out comes the membership card. Van Vlymen was allowed to plead to one count of careless driving, a much less serious offence than impaired driving and a far less costly one at that. He was demoted for a period of nine months, not fired outright. So he will be earning about $90,000 per year and not $110,000.
We simply have no update on the assault charge. The Sarnia Police Service and the Special Investigation Unit both refuse to return our e-mails. This is something we call “the blue haze,” where police make it mind-numbingly difficult to get information. It is probable that the case is still making its way through the courts, but we wouldn’t know if it was dropped altogether.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Van Vlymen is a “Tactical Operator / Gun Team / Sniper.” We can only assume that he is a member of the Sarnia Police “Emergency Response Team.” That police commanders would grant Van Vlymen access to military-grade weapons is frightening. Even more frightening are the breaks Van Vlymen seems to be getting, and the fact that he is still a police officer at all.
During the composition of this article, the Sarnia Police Service, Ontario Provincial Police, Special Investigations Unit and Chief of Police Derek Davis all decided not to reply to our e-mails. Signal High News Corporation will continue to investigate. If you have information about the status of the charges, Van Vlymen or these organizations in general, please respond through our newsroom.
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