Toronto police officer dismissed for misconduct after tribunal finds that he assaulted cyclist, sent 'insulting' messages to superiors
A police constable has been fired from the Toronto Police Service (TPS) after being found guilty of eight counts of misconduct in connection with several incidents over a four-year period, including the arrest of a cyclist in 2017 in which he was later convicted of assault causing bodily harm.
According to police tribunal documents, Insp. Susan Gomes, who presided over the hearing, ruled that Const. Douglas Holmes will be dismissed from TPS within seven days unless he resigns before that.
Gomes said Holmes “violated the public trust by not living up to his oath of office on multiple occasions as he had sworn to do.”
Holmes was facing six counts of discreditable conduct and three counts of insubordination stemming from his interactions with two cyclists and several TPS officers. Gomes found him not guilty of one count because of an error.
Holmes pleaded guilty to eight of the nine counts.
The documents posted online Wednesday provided a detailed account of the misconduct and what transpired during the hearing.
The first incident occurred in 2017. Holmes, who was working at 52 Division, investigated a cyclist for running through a red light along the waterfront. After the cyclist refused to provide identification, Holmes arrested him, pushing him to the ground. The cyclist suffered injuries, including a broken clavicle, as a result.
Holmes was charged with assault causing bodily harm and, in 2019, was found guilty. He received a suspended sentence and a year of probation.
The second incident involving a cyclist occurred in 2018 when he was already facing charges for the first incident. While off duty, Holmes became involved in a verbal altercation with a cyclist. After identifying himself as a police officer, Holmes was “insulting and uncivil” toward the cyclist.
“In both cases regardless of one being off duty and the other being on duty they take place in a public setting where additional eye witnesses were involved observing, providing statements and or calling 911 in response to the escalation of the altercations. Internal reputational damage was incurred in this matter,” Insp. Gomes said in a written ruling.
The remaining incidents occurred in 2021 and 2022 while Holmes was on sick leave. According to the documents, Holmes sent “disparaging,” “inappropriate,” “insulting,” and “rude” text messages and emails to a number of superior officers on separate occasions.
In one instance, Holmes emailed an officer with Professional Standards and called her a “low life” and a “c--nt.”
“There is no excuse for PC Holmes’ misconduct. As a result of PC Holmes’ collective behaviour resulting in this misconduct the reputation of the Toronto Police Service has already been damaged. It only stands to increase if PC Holmes is not appropriately held accountable for his actions,” Gomes wrote.
The tribunal also considered that at the time of the misconduct, Holmes was suffering from health issues, which he said stemmed from work-related events, including his conviction.
Ultimately, Gomes found that Holmes’ disability did not cause his misconduct.
“His actions were a choice. He made many choices of which have consequences,” she said in her ruling.
Even though he submitted that Holmes should never work as a police officer again, his lawyer asked the tribunal for a demotion as a penalty.
“The totality of the misconduct in nature, volume and duration does not align with demotion,” Gomes said.
“It is about upholding the oath, serving the community appropriately, maintaining the public’s trust and confidence in the police and holding PC Holmes accountable for his actions.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cisco reveals security breach, warns of state-sponsored spy campaign
State-sponsored actors targeted security devices used by governments around the world, according to technology firm Cisco Systems, which said the network devices are coveted intrusion points by spies.
I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'oesn't get' the global phenomenom.
opinion RFK Jr.'s presidential candidacy and its potential threat to Biden and Trump
Although it's still unclear how much damage Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s candidacy can do to either Joe Biden or Donald Trump this election, Washington political columnist Eric Ham says what is clear is both sides recognize the potential threat.
Student anti-war protesters dig in as faculties condemn university leadership over calling police
Students protesting the Israel-Hamas war at at universities across U.S., some of whom have clashed with police in riot gear, dug in Saturday and vowed to keep their demonstrations going, while several school faculties condemned university presidents who have called in law enforcement to remove protesters.
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.
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.
Hamas is reviewing an Israeli proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, as possible Rafah offensive looms
Hamas said Saturday it was reviewing a new Israeli proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, as Egypt intensified efforts to broker a deal to end the months-long war and stave off a possible Israeli ground offensive into the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
'The world is too messy for bureaucratic hurdles': Canada still bars Afghanistan aid
Ottawa has plans to finally stop blocking Canadian development aid to Afghanistan this year.
Harvey Weinstein due back in court, while a key witness weighs whether to testify at a retrial
Harvey Weinstein will appear in a New York City court next week, the first step in potentially retrying the film mogul after his 2020 rape conviction was overturned.