Fallout from tow truck turf war prompts new rules for OPP officers
The Ontario Provincial Police is introducing new checks and balances for its members ordering tow truck services in the wake of an investigation that charged four officers with taking secret commissions and breach of trust.
The move comes amid a push to rid Ontario’s tow truck industry of criminality that has seen shootings, arsons, assaults and even a homicide, said OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt.
“We’ve seen a lot of turf war battles between competing tow truck companies. Those put the community and the public at risk,” Schmidt told CTV News Toronto.
Under the new rules, each tow truck company must apply to the OPP to be considered, and must be approved by a local commander. Each year the company must provide its ownership, registration, licence, vehicle, equipment, and insurance, and submit its principals to a criminal history background check.
A company can also be removed if it fails to pass the requirements. The applications must be submitted by Nov. 1, 2021.
Each tow request must be documented and each officer can only use a company once per shift.
“That’s for our own internal accountability as well, to make sure there is no favouritism being displayed,” Schmidt said.
Favouritism appeared to be an issue when the OPP announced charges against four officers earlier this year, accused of breach of trust and taking secret commissions.
Another man, who appeared as a driver on a popular TV show, was also charged with aiding and abetting breach of trust and secret commissions.
The four officers are slated to appear at a Finch Street courthouse in Toronto in October. One of them, Simon Bridle, is also facing a charge of obtaining sexual services for consideration. Court staff say he’s elected to face a jury at Superior Court in Newmarket.
The measures are on top of a pilot program that aimed to do something similar on provincial highways through the Greater Toronto Area. Those rules would limit one company for each of four prescribed zones.
Joey Gagne, the president of Abrams Towing, said the changes won’t affect companies like his that are already registered and operate above board. But they will cause problems for operations that aren’t transparent about how they operate, he said.
“Quite frankly, I would like to see more, but it’s not a bad first step. It’s a measured approach. Anything is better than what we have now,” he said.
Schmidt says the OPP will remain vigilant.
“There have been investigations, there continue to be ongoing investigations into inappropriate conduct and that’s why this system will hold everyone accountable,” he said.
A Toronto police constable also faces a raft of charges related to receiving payments and kickbacks, providing a police radio to tow truck drivers, and is accused in a series of frauds involving insurance claims and car crashes that were allegedly staged.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.