Ottawa police detective demoted two years for accessing confidential records

Det. Helen Grus has been demoted from first-class to second-class constable following a lengthy disciplinary process that concluded August 18.

The 23-year veteran was found guilty in March 2025 of discreditable conduct after she accessed confidential records of nine child or infant death cases in which she had no investigative role or responsibility. She also contacted the father of a deceased baby to ask about the child's mother's COVID-19 vaccination status, later testifying she did so because medical professionals were looking into possible adverse events.

Hearing officer Chris Renwick said in his 39-page decision that Grus "applied her own personal views on the risks and dangers of vaccination policy, formed by her self-initiated research and her strong opposition to her employer's decision to implement a mandatory vaccination policy." The misconduct was serious, Renwick said, and generated intense public interest and national and international media scrutiny that damaged the reputation of the police service.

"The families of the nine deceased infants were adversely affected when they were advised of privacy breaches by the Ottawa Police Service," Renwick said. "Harm was caused."

Grus was suspended on February 4, 2022. Disciplinary hearings ran intermittently between August 2022 and January 2025. Prosecutor Jessica Barrow had called for a two-year demotion; the defence argued Grus had already been punished enough. Her lawyer, Bath-Shéba van den Berg, filed an appeal in April 2025.

Renwick acknowledged Grus's "exemplary" service record and "impressive" career as an investigator but said the breach of public trust required firm action to reinstate confidence in the police service. Grus, now a detective with the robbery unit, told the hearing officer she would "continue to serve Ottawa and the entire community to the best of my ability." A large crowd of supporters gathered outside the Ottawa Police Service station on Huntmar Drive to show support.