'Called a rat and a liar': Victims hope Toronto police harassment report sparks change
A report outlining regular harassment at the Toronto Police Service could make it easier for some members trying to get justice through tribunals and the courts, says a lawyer representing an officer who claims she was repeatedly harassed and demeaned for her gender and her ethnicity.
But without taking the next step and holding individual officers accountable, a change to the culture of the police force may be as hard as ever, Angelo Sciacca says.
“I think the time for words is over. We’ve heard the police make statements to the media. They could be just empty words. They have to take this report and turn it into action,” he said in an interview.
Sciacca represents a female police officer who CTV News Toronto isn’t identifying because she is concerned about more harassment. She has gone by “Darya” as a pseudonym.
In February, Darya filed an amended application with Ontario’s Human Rights Tribunal alleging a pattern of harassment that stretched back more than a decade. The Toronto Police Service has denied her allegations in informal responses to the application, her lawyer said.
In one incident in March, 2011, the complainant said her partner intentionally closed a car door on the leg of someone he was arresting. When she objected, he “hit her with full force on her left breast,” she claimed in the application.
She claims that superior officers didn’t conduct a proper investigation, including to take photos of her injury, and the Toronto Police Association told her not to lay charges because she was a “rookie” and it would ruin her career.
“The Applicant was expected to endure assault from male officers in order to keep her job,” the filing says.
“When she did report the incident, she faced almost immediate reprisals. She was told not to take it further, she was called a rat and a liar, and had her car keyed and dog excrement left on her windshield and that was in a police parking lot,” Sciacca said.
Darya, who is of Iranian origin, was called a “loner” for avoiding alchohol-centric social gatherings, was told by colleagues to take an English as a second language course even though she fluently speaks four languages, and faced sexualized comments about her body, the application says.
The filing alleges the harassment she experienced is systemic — and Scaccia says the report released this week may help him prove that at the tribunal.
According to the survey commissioned from Deloitte by the Toronto Police Service, 60 per cent of the 908 people surveyed said they had experienced or witnessed harassment or discrimination within the TPS in the past five years.
Source: Toronto Police Service
The report found almost 1 in four officers said they witnessed or experienced harassment. About 24 per cent witnessed and around 12 per cent experienced sexual harassment. About 16 per cent witnessed and about 22 per cent experienced discrimination on the job.
Source: Toronto Police Service
The report was dated March 2022, and was released the same day the TPS apologized for systemic racism after its own data showed it used force more against Black and racialized people.
“Harassment and discrimination have no place in our organization,” said TPS Board Chair Jim Hart in a statement released this week.
“The Board and Service are dedicated to listening and doing better every day, and we remain committed to fostering a progressive and inclusive culture. We know that doing so will benefit each and every member as well as the communities we are very proud to serve.”
The force said it joined a working group on respectful workplaces in policing, made up of 16 police services from across the province, has revamped its workplace harassment investigation process, and has added anti-harassment training for all supervisors and senior officers. Over 1,000 supervisors have received this training to date.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Israel attacks Iran, Reuters sources say; drones reported over Isfahan
Israel has attacked Iran, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters, as Iranian state media reported early on Friday that its forces had destroyed drones, days after Iran launched a retaliatory drone strike on Israel.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Nearly half of China's major cities are sinking, researchers say
Nearly half of China's major cities are suffering 'moderate to severe' levels of subsidence, putting millions at risk of flooding especially as sea levels rise.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Judge says 'no evidence fully supports' murder case against Umar Zameer as jury starts deliberations
The judge presiding over the trial of a man accused of fatally running over a Toronto police officer is telling jurors the possible verdicts they may reach based on the evidence in the case.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Colin Jost names one celebrity who is great at hosting 'Saturday Night Live'
Colin Jost, who co-anchors Saturday Night Live's 'Weekend Update,' revealed who he thinks is one of the best hosts on the show.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn't over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball's highest scorer Caitlin Clark's first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
'Shopaholic' author Sophie Kinsella reveals brain cancer diagnosis
Sophie Kinsella, the best-selling author behind the 'Shopaholic' book series, has revealed that she is receiving treatment for brain cancer.