Project South corruption probe grows with two Toronto cops suspended

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The number of current and former Toronto Police officers caught in the Project South organized crime corruption web has now risen to ten.

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Just two days after seven Toronto cops and one retired officer were criminally charged by York Regional Police, the Toronto Sun has learned two more officers have been suspended with pay by the service under Ontario’s Community Safety and Policing Act.

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“Two officers have been suspended,” Toronto Police spokesperson Nadine Ramadan said Saturday. “I’m not able to share their names as they are not before the tribunal.”

Toronto Police Association President Clayton Campbell added, “We are aware two additional members have been suspended by the TPS with pay, in relation to Project South” and “unlike criminal charges, where legal support is not guaranteed, members facing internal disciplinary matters under the Community Safety and Policing Act are provided with the opportunity to access legal assistance through the TPA.”

A source close to the suspended officers said, “They are all being investigated, and there could be Police Act (now known as the Community Safety and Policing Act) charges to follow, but there have been no charges at this point.”

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Any charges would fall under the Community Safety and Policing Act and not the criminal code.

The seven officers previously accused in YRP’s Project South – four of whom, in a rare move, have been suspended without pay – face criminal charges stemming from allegations that include a house being shot up and conspiracy to commit murder.

But news of these latest two suspensions show that this shocking probe is expanding.

Peel Regional Police announced on Friday that they have also suspended three officers in connection with the investigation.

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Inspector General and Chief too close to ensure impartiality

Meanwhile, when you have police investigating police and then call on a person who was at the podium with you as you are sworn in as police chief, it does not present the appearance of a legitimate process to get to the truth.

While Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw has written a letter to Ontario’s Inspector General of Policing asking for a full review, it can’t be overlooked the person in that role is Ryan Teschner, who not only was the executive director of the Toronto Police Services Board when Demkiw was hired but also introduced him at his swearing-in ceremony in 2022.

Teschner’s name is also mentioned in the news release from the company that did the search to find the city’s new top cop.

The Inspectorate of Policing spokesperson Rima Amri said, “The Inspector General continues to evaluate the request” and “if the decision is made to initiate an inspection, as with all of the Inspectorate of Policing’s work, appropriate safeguards, including those set out in the Community Safety and Policing Act, will be implemented to ensure the work is done in a manner that is objective and impartial.”

But Teschner is too close to it – he and Demkiw are former co-workers at Toronto Police. The Project South probe has the Toronto Police under investigation and under normal rules of the road, Toronto Police should have no role in this investigation.

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Chief Demkiw should recuse himself from Project South

With seven currently serving officers and one retired officer already charged, and now two more cops suspended, in this corruption case that includes allegations of sharing a correction officer’s home address and even a conspiracy to commit murder, their boss should either recuse himself or be told to do so in order to protect the integrity of this case.

Demkiw is a well-respected and trusted cop, but his large presence of the podium at York Regional Police headquarters on Thursday, and his ‘stop the bleeding’ radio and TV studio tour on Friday, should not have been allowed to have happened by Mayor Olivia Chow, Premier Doug Ford, Solicitor General Michael Kerzner or the Toronto Police Services Board Chair, City Councillor Shelley Carroll.

They have the authority to pull Demkiw, and all of his appointees, from this probe the same way Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra did with many school boards the province deemed incapable or running autonomously.

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This is standard practice in every public organization in scandal – like when Hockey Canada had a criminal probe or the Chicago Blackhawks or St. Michael’s College. The management didn’t investigate themselves.

When former Toronto mayor John Tory acknowledged an inter-office relationship with a staff member, he did the appropriate thing and resigned the position.

Even York Regional Police had a chief step aside in 1997 because of breach of trust allegation.

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Police chiefs armed and wearing bulletproof vests

When an entity is under investigation, the people in the system are not supposed to be guiding the investigation.

When YRP Deputy Chief Ryan Hogan, Demkiw and YRP Chief James MacSween sat at a podium in front of the media appearing to be armed with their service weapons and taking the unusual step of wearing bullet proof vests that officers would wear at a high-risk crime scene or to protect drugs or money in an organized crime bust, they outlined a compelling case like you would see at the opening of a trial – complete with video evidence.

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But can the accused, in uniform or out of uniform, receive a fair trial now?

While they get marks for being open, it would have been closer to usual practice to merely have YRP outline their case and suggest Demkiw address his perspective at his own shop.

When there is a scandal or alleged criminality in the unit you run involving people you supervise, especially when its publicly funded, it’s in the taxpayer’s best interest that no decisions on how things go moving forward are put in the hands of the people running the unit being probed.

There are also needs to be a whistleblower strategy employed so any officer can freely talked with investigators.

Demkiw may not need to resign as some have suggested, but he does need to step away from the investigation and run all aspects of Toronto Police with the exception of this case. Or his board, the Mayor, Premier or Solicitor General should demand it – in the interest of transparency.

Remember, with such a big probe that is supposed to “leave no stone unturned,” the Chief and members of his command team could end up being called as witnesses.

jwarmington@postmedia.com

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