WRPS to participate in Ontario-wide police corruption probe

The reputational damage of Project South has prompted Ontario’s police watchdog to seek out the roots of corruption in policing forces.

On Monday, Inspector General of Policing of Ontario, Ryan Teschner, announced an independent provincewide police probe after seven current Toronto officers were charged following a months-long York Regional Police probe into corruption and organized crime.

And while the request for the inspection came from the Toronto Police Service and Board, Teschner said it will cover the “totality of the landscape” of policing across the province.

Waterloo Regional Police Service told 570 NewsRadio in a statement that it will participate in the review.

“We value any recommendations that support the continuous improvement of police governance practices and that ensures we continue providing adequate and effective policing to the community,” a spokesperson with the force said. “We want to reassure the community that safeguarding personal information and maintaining transparency and accountability within our organization is of the utmost importance.”

Teschner said he will appoint an external person to conduct the inspection which will examine the ability of Ontario’s police services, and boards, to “prevent, detect, respond to, and fortify their organizations against corruption…”

Project South uncovered damning allegations of bribery, conspiracy to commit murder and drug trafficking and resulted in the arrests of seven Toronto police officers and one retired officer.

Three Peel Regional Police officers have also been suspended in connection to the ongoing probe that rattled the policing community.

York Regional Police Chief Jim MacSween said the seven-month-long investigation found officers unlawfully accessed information, which was then allegedly funneled to criminals who carried out shootings and other violent offences.

“Organized crime is insidious,” Teschner said Monday. “Our role is to look at the totality of the system.”

Teschner said the inspection will focus on the following five areas, but could expand as it unfolds:

• Supervision and span of control
• Screening and vetting of officers
• Access to police databases and information systems
• Evidence and property management
• Substance abuse and fitness for duty

Trust is ‘foundational’

Teschner admitted that the serious allegations in Project South have “struck at the trust people place in their police services.”

“People most often encounter police at moments of crisis when they are frightened, injured grieving or in immediate danger,” he said. “In those moments public trust is not abstract, it determines whether people will seek help, whether they will cooperate, tell the truth and accept protection. Without this trust lawful authority loses legitimacy and public safety is weakened for everyone.”

Teschner said when the inspection is completed, he will receive a report outlining the independent findings, which will be made public.

He did not provide a timeline, but said he hoped to have it in a timely fashion while acknowledging the huge amount of work looking into the machinations of 45 police services and their boards, including the Ontario Provincial Police.

Corruption a ‘management problem’: Former Toronto Mayor

Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw said he is seeking suspension without pay for six of the seven members facing charges. He also acknowledged how the charges have further eroded already-waning public trust.

“Restoring trust requires more than words. It requires sustained effort, openness to scrutiny and the humility to change. That is the work ahead, and it is the work our service is committed to performing,” said Demkiw.

Demkiw called it the most concerning internal affairs matter in his 35 years in policing in Toronto. Despite it unfolding on his watch, he also said at this point no one has called for his resignation. “My job is focused on dealing with the immediate aftermath in this situation.”

Former Toronto Mayor John Sewell, meanwhile, wasn’t giving Demkiw a pass.

Speaking to CityNews after the arrests were announced last Thursday, Sewell brushed aside the “bad apple” theory in favour of deeper systemic issues.

“One or two rogue officers, you can understand that but to have a whole bunch of officers (allegedly) coordinating themselves together and working on some pretty vicious stuff, this is a serious management problem.”

“The Chief has not shown himself willing to actually be really tough about people who do things wrong in the police force,” Sewell said, citing the trial of a man accused in the death of a Toronto police officer, where the testimony of three officers was cited by a judge as possible collusion.

“The judge thought that those three officers had coordinated their evidence and that they weren’t being truthful,” Sewell said.

“That happened almost two years ago, the Chief has yet to report on that. Now wait a minute, if you aren’t actually going after the people that you know are doing something wrong, or a judge does, maybe there’s a big problem here.”

With files from The Canadian Press and Meredith Bond