Toronto constable demoted for role in cheating promotions exam
An officer who admitted to playing a part in a scheme to cheat the Toronto Police Service promotions procedure has been temporarily demoted instead.
Constable Horace Harvey — who had already pleaded guilty to discreditable conduct for his part in getting special treatment from a high-ranking officer — will be busted down from a first-class constable to a second-class for a period of six months, according to a decision by Supt. Shane Branton of the Toronto police's disciplinary tribunal.
“He made conscious choices to participate. His actions were contrary to the rank he was attempting to obtain. This even has caused extensive damage to the reputation of the service internally or externally,” Branton said in his judgment.
Harvey is one of several officers caught up in a police promotions scandal that has also ensnared a TPS superintendent Stacey Clarke, who was once spoken of as an option for chief of the department.
Harvey was attached to intelligence services and was a candidate to be promoted to Sergeant, an agreed statement of facts says in the case.
Clarke was mentoring him through the process — a mentorship that was supposed to end on November 25, 2021, well before his actual promotional interview on December 7, 2021.
But the statement of facts says the mentorship continued past the beginning of other officers’ interviews. Investigators seized Harvey’s cell phone and found messages containing pictures and audio recordings of real questions faced by others, the statement says.
Clarke herself sat on Harvey’s promotional panel, and neither of them declared a conflict of interest despite a “personal and familial relationship with Supt. Clarke for over 20 years,” it says.
Prosecutor Alexandra Miller argued that Harvey put his personal relationship with Clarke above his obligation to the Toronto Police Service.
“The lack of honesty and integrity are at the core of this incident, which makes it more serious,” she said.
Harvey’s defence lawyer, David Butt, said Harvey never sought out the special treatment but followed the lead of the higher-ranking superintendent because the TPS’s hierarchical culture didn’t give him much other choice.
“Realistically, if we take the informal culture into account, what power does a Constable have to say to that rising star Superintendent, not only will I not do it, but I will report you?” Butt asked.
Clarke is separately charged with seven counts of professional misconduct under Ontario’s Police Services Act for allegedly sending questions in advance to six constables.
The allegations against Clarke have not yet been heard by the tribunal, and Branton addressed them only generally.
“Superintendent Clarke’s repercussions as to her actions in this matter will not be addressed other than by commenting that fundamentally the level of responsibility and culpability rises as the position in the organization does,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Another suspect arrested in Toronto Pearson airport gold heist: police
Another suspect is in custody in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year, police say.
Poilievre-led government 'would never' use notwithstanding clause on abortion, his office says
A Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre would not legislate on, nor use the notwithstanding clause, on abortion, his office says, as anti-abortion protesters gather on Parliament Hill.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Miss Teen USA steps down just days after Miss USA's resignation
Miss Teen USA resigned Wednesday, sending further shock waves through the pageant community just days after Miss USA said she would relinquish her crown.
Cyclist strikes child crossing the street to catch school bus in Montreal
A video circulating on social media of a young girl being hit by a bike has some calling for better safety and more caution when designing bike lanes in the city. The video shows a four-year-old girl crossing Jeanne-Mance Street in Montreal's Plateau neighbourhood to get on a school bus stopped on the opposite side of the street
BREAKING 6 injured in Sharbot Lake, Ont. crash; 2 in life-threatening condition
Ontario Provincial Police say six people have suffered severe injuries in a single-vehicle crash in Sharbot Lake, Ont, including two in life-threatening condition.