Ontario’s police chiefs are calling for an overhaul of the province’s “archaic” officer discipline system, a move that would give police services greater ability to fire or suspend officers without pay. The system can leave officers suspended from duty for years awaiting a criminal trial or a disciplinary hearing, prompting embarrassment for police chiefs and public outrage at egregious cases, including a Toronto officer suspended with pay for over a decade. A Star survey earlier this year found more than 120 police officers were suspended with pay across Ontario, the bulk of them from the OPP (37) and Toronto (31). “And quite frankly, it doesn’t meet normal labour law standards currently in place in Ontario,” Conn said. The new legislation will grant police chiefs some additional suspension powers, allowing them to cut off the paycheque when officers are facing a “serious” criminal charge.

Source: thestar July 13, 2021 19:19 UTC