Toronto, Canada - Police force grappled with how to restore integrity
Dr. Kardasz: The following article by the CBC gives more disturbing information about the Toronto P.D. For more information on the subject of whistleblowing see: http://www.kardasz.org/Whistle_Blowing.html
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Toronto, Canada - Police force grappled with how to restore integrity11/28/06, CBC News
Toronto's police force knew there was a widespread problem with its drug squads and was grappling with how to restore its integrity, according to a confidential internal report.
Failures to properly supervise, monitor and train drug squad investigators are identified in the 2002 interim report, which was obtained by CBC News, as the biggest problems that led to some undercover officers becoming "ticking bombs."
Allegations of corruption in the police force first surface in 1999 and later led to criminal charges against six officers. Those allegations have not been proven in court.
The document is a comprehensive investigation of Toronto Police Services policies and procedures in relation to its drug squads and was ordered by then police chief Julian Fantino.
'Situation not beyond salvation'
Acknowledging that the scandal caused a negative view of the police service's integrity, the report concludes the "situation is not beyond salvation" and the force "can restore the tarnished image."
A total of 38 recommendations are made in the internal report, many of which surfaced in a later public report by retired judge George Ferguson in 2004.
The report advises sweeping changes to the way the police force operates, including drug testing of officers and tighter controls on search warrants.
The report calls for a "360-degree change" in the handling of confidential informants because of numerous problems.
One of the largest fears in the fallout from the investigation, the report states, is that it causes a "lack of confidence by the public, the courts and the informants in the ability of the service … to properly manage informants."
Informants are considered a "major source of criminal intelligence," it says.
Officers scared to break 'code of silence'
The report says it was "disconcerting" that no front-line officers came forward in the midst of the corruption scandal to report any of their colleagues' "significant indiscretions" and calls for the force to become more welcoming of whistleblowers.
Officers were too scared to break the "code of silence" for fear of losing their jobs or being harassed at work.
It even quotes Frank Serpico, the famous New York drug cop turned whistleblower, who told a public commission that "we have to create an atmosphere where dishonest cops fear honest cops."
Steroid use causing 'enormous problems'
The report also documents substance abuse by officers, stating that while cocaine use was suspected as an issue in the past, the force should now turn its focus to steroids, which is causing "enormous problems."
Alcohol is identified as a rising problem, with 45 members admitting to substance abuse according to a 2000 report, a 32 per cent increase from the previous year.
Drug testing of officers is one of the recommendations put forward by report's writers, who note that it is done by 90 per cent of U.S. drug agencies.
Mass hiring led to 'problem officers' joining force
Selection of officers should also be overhauled, the report says, pointing out that many of the officers under investigation at the time joined the force during a wave of mass hiring.
It calls for only the "best" cops to be hired into the drug squads.
However, it notes that what is not clear as a result of the police policy investigation is whether the "problem officers" joined the force "with the intentions of acting in a corrupt matter … or whether they are a product of negative influences as they progressed in their career."
The Toronto Police Services Board meets Tuesday to consider what to do about a wave of allegations from two police whistleblowers who claim cases of corruption were swept under the carpet.
Last week, the civilian overseer of the police force, board chair Alok Mukherjee and police Chief Bill Blair said they'd support a public inquiry into the allegations.
Retrieved December 1, 2006 from http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2006/11/28/report-police.html?ref=rss