OBJECTIVITY SORELY LACKING

T.O. Cops want public’s trust while they once again probe themselves

When it comes to public trust in the Toronto Police, the public is in a position where you’re just going to have to trust them.

In theory, the buck may stop at the chief’s desk when seven of his officers, and one retired cop, are charged in a conspiracy to commit murder and corruption case that saw a house of a corrections officer shot up, allegedly thanks to information leaked to hit men.

In reality, this was a police investigating police scenario that was lacking objectivity. And the brass were patting themselves on the back last Thursday for what a good job they all did.

There is, however, nothing good about any of this. They’re also missing the plot.

There have been no resignations, demotions or mea culpa style apologies to the bewildered and mortified public so far. Chief Myron Demkiw didn’t say he was “sorry” or embarrassed about these allegations against his officers under his watch, but instead offered assurances that the people in charge of these officers and units – at the time of these alleged crimes – will be the ones who clean it up.

And just to be sure, they’ve called on the “inspector general” to review it all to see if everything was done right the same way they review things.  By the time any report comes back on this, the Winter Olympics will be well underway and  will no doubt distract from this corruption scandal, will already be three years in the books.

“Ryan Teschner leads Canada’s first Inspectorate of Policing,” it says on the website. “He is dedicated to building public trust, promoting excellence and transformation in the policing sector and modernizing police oversite and governance.”

Who? What?

You can wait for this report if you like, but it’s policing 101 when a police force discovers alleged corruption or potential violence by one of its members, it’s common practice to bring in an outside agency to investigate and create a level of unbiased decision making to ensure no one can impede the probe.

When York Regional Police (YRP) Chief Jim MacSween was made aware that there were Toronto Police officers allegedly involved in a matter in which information was given to shooters on the address of a corrections officer, he call Demkiw, who then turned it over to his Professional Standards people, who along with the other officers cooperated with York Reginal Police’s Project South operation.

“We needed the cooperation and support of the Toronto Police service to help us with the investigation,” MacSween said.

And give away the element of surprise? It makes no sense to ask the people who run a shop to help investigate criminality of people in their own shop. What if this alleged corruption was widespread among the ranks?

The optics don’t work.

This has the appearance of conflict of interest.            

Had MacSween alerted the OPP or RCMP and asked for their assistance or just let the very capable YRP handle it, the probe would have had the level of outside independence it currently doesn’t have.

It also doesn’t fit into normal practices that Demkiw would be sitting at the same podium with the YRP chief running the operation that sees his own outfit facing a scandal. The Toronto chief used that time and platform to relay to the public that not only are the so-called bad apples facing potential suspension without pay but that regular citizens and his police officers can rest easy that they have this.

Maybe they do, maybe they don’t. Either way, Demkiw should have made that plea at Toronto Police headquarters and he should have been nowhere near the announcement of criminal charges on his officers by a neighbouring police force.