Toronto police, don't lie to courts!
It's a serious thing to lie under oath in the courtroom. But it seems that a percentage of Toronto police get away with it. Thirty-four Toronto police officers have given bad testimony in court, according to a recent investigation conducted by the Toronto Star. The investigation found that Toronto police testimony is frequently evasive, based on bad practices, or even wholly dishonest.
And there appear to be no consequences. Police identified as misrepresenting facts in court are not getting suspended or even reprimanded by their chiefs. A judge's complaint is not enough even to block a lying police officer from being promoted! Tell Attorney General John Gerretsen to craft legislation that would make courtroom lying a violation of the Ontario Police Services Act.
We the undersigned understand that the life of a police officer is difficult and precarious. However, that does not excuse officers who are under oath from being fair and honest in the courtroom. The Toronto Police need to be held to higher standards. A Star investigation shows that far too many police have violated the integrity of the courtroom with evasion, bad investigations, and even outright lies. Please introduce legislation that will stop this terrible trend!
