Spokane PD let two cops prey on DV victims for more than a decade
Officers Toby Bryer and Christopher Conrath had no shortage of red flags in their disciplinary files, but the department let them keep their badges—until two women blew the whistle.
When an internal investigation into two Spokane cops’ sexual misconduct prompted them to resign in disgrace, the chief hailed it as a victory for police accountability. But there’s little reason to be proud.
The department knew about this predatory behavior for at least 10 years and kept them on the job. These officers not only remained in uniform but also received promotions and assignments to prestigious specialty units.
The investigation started with a complaint filed earlier this year against Det. Toby Bryer, who worked in the Spokane police bomb disposal unit. A woman reported that she met Bryer during a call about a domestic violence threat, and the two began having an affair.
They had sex multiple times while Bryer was on duty, including at least once at the bomb squad’s hangar, according to the Spokesman-Review.
Bryer was cheating on his wife, whom he also reportedly met during a domestic violence call. When the investigation started, Bryer’s wife told his ex, another domestic violence victim, who came forward to report on Bryer and his close friend, Corporal Christopher Conrath, who began dating the woman after they broke up.
Red Flags
The woman, who lived with Bryer for five years until 2020, said that Conrath and Bryer almost exclusively go after domestic violence victims. The department’s records corroborate this.
According to records obtained by DivestSPD, there have been 10 internal investigations into Spokane officers for having sex on duty or starting a sexual relationship with someone on the job since 2015.
Seven of those involved Bryer or Conrath.
In 2016, Conrath was suspended for 30 days for starting a relationship with a domestic violence victim after a call about a protection order violation. In his internal affairs interview, Conrath said it was a “big mistake” and that it would not be repeated.
Later, the department learned that he was having sex with another domestic violence victim while he was claiming it “would never happen again.” He met a woman in 2015 who believed that her estranged husband was tampering with her sprinkler. Conrath offered to come back and fix her sprinkler. Then, they began a sexual relationship.
The woman chronicled their relationship on a calendar, showing that it lasted through 2016. She meticulously documented trips to the department range and multiple trysts on and off duty. Her husband filed a complaint when he found the calendar in 2020.
The department sustained allegations, but Conrath was not suspended or reprimanded because the disciplinary deadline for non-criminal misconduct had passed. The chief did not sustain criminal allegations that the woman, who was struggling with alcohol abuse and mental health issues at the time, could not legally consent.
That same year, Bryer was investigated for solicitation of a personal or sexual relationship while on duty. Conrath was also investigated multiple times for having inappropriate relationships or sexually harassing other employees and volunteers:
2017: Allegedly hit on another domestic violence victim, but an investigation determined this to be “unfounded.”
2019: Accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a college student he was mentoring. The student was terminated from the program for unnamed policy reasons, and she would not cooperate with the investigation.
2020: Fixated on a trainee at the police academy, where he worked as a firearms instructor. Conrath was accused of cyberstalking her and touching her in a way that made her uncomfortable. Sue Rahr, head of the state training commission at the time, did not recommend a full investigation but suggested he be removed from firearms training.
2022: Investigated for allegedly having an on-duty sexual relationship with a cadet (volunteer). This allegation wasn’t sustained, but a confidential witness later said that Conrath was having sex with two cadets and often tried to arrange a threesome.
Misplaced Priorities
In his interview with the Spokesman-Review, Spokane Police Chief Kevin Hall said: “It’s not fair to the community, and it’s not fair to the survivors or the victims of trauma to have people in authority and power victimize them again.”
This is a fine sentiment, but it’s completely at odds with how the department has treated this issue. An officer taking advantage of someone vulnerable should be grounds for instant termination. Instead, Spokane PD gave these officers so many chances.
While the press coverage rightly focused on the abuse of domestic violence victims, the internal investigation bizarrely emphasized the misappropriation of equipment and police resources: giving rides in police cruisers, dates at the firing range, blowing off calls, etc.
One gets the impression that cops preying on domestic violence victims is considered less serious than having sex on the job.