Is the Nexus Between Criminals and GTA Police a New Phenomenon?
On February 5, every Torontonian and virtually every media outlet from Toronto to Timbuktu were discussing one breaking piece of news: police corruption in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and something called “Project South.”
Prominent news organizations — BBC, Reuters, the Associated Press, as well as online platforms from Yahoo to MSN — all expressed “shock” at the alleged conspiracy between organized crime and the York and Toronto Regional Police. Reports indicated that the police not only colluded with members of organized criminal gangs but also planned to murder one of their own by sharing information with the assassins.
As usual, the response from the concerned police departments was immediate. Reassuring statements and solemn promises followed the revelations.
Here’s a cross-section of those statements:
Toronto Police Association (TPA), Clayton Campbell, President: “There is nothing our members or the TPA hate more than a corrupt cop. My team and I were disturbed by the allegations, if proven to be true.” (Keep this phrase, “if proven to be true,” in mind for later; it will become relevant in this report.)
Toronto Police Service Board: “This investigation raises serious public concerns related to police integrity and public safety. Public trust in policing is fundamental. The Board holds all members of the Toronto Police Service to the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and accountability, and any allegations of criminal conduct are taken extremely seriously.”
York Regional Police, Chief Jim MacSween: “This news is both shocking and completely unacceptable. Corruption has no place in policing. It’s never and will never be tolerated.”
City of Toronto. Mayor Olivia Chow: “Public trust in policing is fundamental.” Any officer working with organized crime “deserves to be thrown in jail.”
Surprise. Distress. Shock. Recriminations. And then, the promises…
TPA: “Our force must do better. Their professionalism and commitment continue to underpin the delivery of public safety across the city.”
Mayor Chow: Police Chief Myron Demkiw must “earn back public trust by rooting out officers who have committed crimes and make systemic changes after an independent review.” Torontonians “deserve to know that the police officers they deal with every day can be trusted, not corrupt, and acting with integrity.”
Reading through these statements, it’s natural for the public to feel that this incident is an exception to the rule. However, that perception would be grossly incorrect. While any field can experience misconduct from a few individuals, it is misleading to portray this as an isolated incident when the evidence suggests otherwise.
To illustrate this point, consider the following timeline of police misconduct between 2000 and 2006. We chose to stop at 2006, not because there were no incidents in 2007, but to avoid overwhelming you with information while still making our case clear.
– 2000: November 22 – Eight former officers from the Central Field Command Drug Squad were charged with misappropriating police funds intended for drug investigations.
– 2001: Chief Julian Fantino requested the RCMP to investigate allegations of perjury and theft related to the ongoing “fink fund” investigation, which had been in progress since 1997. This investigation led to the review of significant criminal cases.
2002: An internal investigation was initiated regarding allegations of corruption and misconduct involving several police officers.
2003: Norm Gardner, the chair of the Toronto Police Services Board, reported attempts to sabotage an investigation into the force’s drug squad. He acknowledged that sensitive information from the police Internal Affairs department had fallen into the hands of the officers under suspicion.
2004: Charges were brought against six veteran Toronto police officers following a massive two-and-a-half-year investigation by the RCMP into corruption within the force.
2005: No significant events were reported.
2006: This year proved to be pivotal. A major Toronto media outlet published a report on November 20 with a striking headline:
“Probe Into Police Coverups Handcuffed. Investigation Limited In Scope, Report To Reveal Little.”
The report detailed accusations from Sergeant Jim Cassells, a 29-year veteran of the police force and whistleblower. He alleged that his superiors at the Toronto Police Service had failed to follow up on numerous cases uncovered by an RCMP-led special task force during his tenure from 2001 to 2004.
More importantly, Cassells claimed that police leadership was involved in covering up misconduct, refusing to investigate serious allegations, and disregarding public complaints about police brutality and internal corruption. In response, the then Chief of Police Bill Blair ordered a “procedural review” and appointed York Regional Police Homicide Inspector Mark Tatz to lead the internal affairs investigation into these allegations.
However, under that procedural review, Tatz was instructed not to investigate any cases identified by the special task force. He was also prohibited from interviewing the six Toronto drug officers who had been criminally charged as a result of the task force’s work.
The above paints a busy calendar for our protectors in uniform, and we haven’t even covered events from 2007 yet.
So, we extend our apologies to the police chiefs of the Greater Toronto Area if we approach your recriminations and promises with skepticism. The reality on the ground doesn’t match what you say.
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