Former head of Toronto police tribunal demoted following drunk driving plea

The Toronto Police Services emblem is photographed during a press conference at TPS headquarters, in Toronto on Tuesday, May 17, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

A high-ranking Toronto cop who usually heads up the force’s disciplinary unit will be demoted after pleading guilty to a misconduct charge in connection with a drunk driving crash in Pickering last year.

Supt. Riyaz Hussein made the plea before the Toronto police tribunal on Monday. A Toronto police spokesperson confirms that Hussein will be demoted to inspector rank from superintendent for a period of 12 months. That demotion begins tomorrow.

The resolution of the case comes months after Hussein was fined $1,200 and handed a 90-day driving suspension after pleading guilty to a criminal charge of operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol level above 80 milligrams. Hussein was also ordered to use an ignition interlock device for a nine-month period in exchange for a shorter driving suspension.

According to the agreed statement of facts entered as evidence on Monday, Hussein was driving eastbound on Highway 401 through the City of Pickering on Jan. 13, 2022 when he was involved in a collision with another vehicle headed in the same direction.

The documents note that police attended the scene and demanded a roadside breath test.

Hussein complied and the device registered a fail indicating a blood alcohol concentration of greater than 0.90 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, the documents state.

Prior to the laying of charges in the case, Hussein headed up the police tribunal and was often responsible for determining whether or not officers were guilty of misconduct and assigning penalties.

He was initially suspended with pay pending the outcome of the criminal case but returned to duty on Feb. 14.

A notice of hearing previously obtained by CP24 said that Hussein was operating a vehicle registered to the Toronto Police Service when the crash occurred.

Those documents alleged that the investigating Ontario Police Officer observed that Hussein was “unsteady” on his feet following the crash and “almost fell over.”

According to the documents, police ultimately found two bottles of Appleton Estate Rum in Hussein's vehicle – an open one under the driver's seat and a sealed one on the floor of the right front passenger compartment.