Deputy Chief Of Kingston Police Service Suspended Author of The Article:sabrina Bedford

A member of the Kingston Police leadership team has been suspended from the force, this newspaper has learned, but details remain under wraps.

Deputy Chief Matt Funnell, who has worked for Kingston Police since 2001 and was recently promoted to the job in September, was suspended in recent weeks, but the reason remains unclear.

“I can confirm that the Deputy Chief has been suspended and that any other information is confidential at this time,” Jarrod Stearns, chair of the police services board, said on Friday afternoon.

Details about the situation remain scarce, including the reason for the suspension, when it began, and whether he’s been suspended with or without pay.

The Whig-Standard has reached out to Deputy Chief Funnell for comment.

Funnell is one of two deputy chiefs in Kingston and was recently appointed to the position in September of this year.

He began his policing career in August 1996 with the Carleton Place Police Service, where for five years he performed regular patrol and generalized policing duties before moving to Kingston in May of 2001.

Then, he was assigned to various units as a constable, including frontline patrol and in the criminal investigations division where he worked in the major crime unit.

In 2005, he was one of the founding members of the Kingston Police Cold Case Investigations Unit, and in 2010 he was promoted to sergeant and continued with supervisory roles in the Criminal Investigations Division.

In 2014, he was promoted to Staff Sergeant and appointed as an Incident Commander. For the next seven years, he performed supervisory duties for frontline patrol and the court services unit.

In 2021, he was promoted to inspector and assumed oversight of the Community Orientated Response and Engagement Unit and Professional Standards, and more recently the Investigative Services Division.