There is “leeway” in how police interpret calls and the public may never get the full picture behind the circumstances that led to an Ottawa officer pleading guilty to a slew of charges, according to the union.

Const. Keith Heaton this week admitted to 23 charges under the Police Services Act related to unnecessary force, abusing authority, pepper-spraying a woman, disposing of drug evidence and doing police database checks on colleagues, relatives and himself.

The guilty plea forewent what was expected to be a lengthy trial which would have seen some 30 witnesses, meaning the public will likely never hear all the details.

“When you’re reading something in black and white, it’s not always in context,” said Ottawa Police Association president Matt Skof. “There’s no guidebook. People go to a call and use their own experience and judgment.”

The force considered dismissal, but instead a suggested penalty is significant retraining and supervision for Heaton, who has been an officer since 2004.

But despite the unusual move, the union argues it does not mean an officer who may have to retake training is a liability.

“He’s accepted it so he can get a process behind him and move forward,” said Skof. “You’re expediting your sentencing to get your career back on track.”

Such lengthy proceedings can seriously strain officers, said Skof. The investigation surrounding Heaton began three years ago.

His suggested discipline is tailored instruction on things like database use and note-taking, and would include having a training officer for a full year, instead of three months.

It takes about nine months before an Ottawa police officer is ready to hit the streets. Rare is the officer cut during in-house training, since by then recruits (who have already been hired by the Ottawa force) have already completed Ontario Police College training.

But there are some officers who have struggled more than others in certain areas, said Ottawa police Staff Sgt. Lynne Turnbull of the Professional Development Centre, but they will be helped.

In other cases, officers take a refresher on a course with content they may not have experienced recently, such as a class on giving court testimony.

“If people are not meeting the standard, we will do what we can to get them up to standard,” said Turnbull.

“We’ve invested in them. We want to set them up for success.”

Heaton’s sentencing is slated for January.

danielle.bell@sunmedia.ca

Twitter: @ottawasundbell