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 New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Honda expected to announce Ontario EV battery plant, part of a $15B investment
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Honda executives are expected to announce today that the Japanese automaker is building an electric vehicle battery plant in Alliston, Ont., part of a $15-billion investment.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.