Toronto cop who helped Black officers cheat on promotional exams handed 2-year demotion
CTV
The Toronto Police Service’s first Black female superintendent has been handed a two-year demotion after helping several members of the service cheat in a 2021 promotional process.
The Toronto Police Service’s first Black female superintendent has been handed a two-year demotion after helping several members of the service cheat in a 2021 promotional process.
Officer Stacy Clarke was handed the penalty at a police tribunal hearing in downtown Toronto on Wednesday after pleading guilty to seven professional misconduct charges last year.
At a May hearing, Clarke admitted to helping six constables she had been mentoring gain unfair advantages on promotional exams. Her lawyers told the tribunal she acted out of despair over what she believed to be systemic mistreatment of Black officers in the Toronto Police Service (TPS) and was attempting to diversify its ranks.
Reading her decision to the tribunal on Wednesday, hearing officer Robin McElary-Downer acknowledged “deficiencies” in the service’s hiring processes, but told the tribunal her role was not to review or make recommendations to police.
“Regardless of the circumstances, [..] honesty and integrity are non-negotiable character traits of the police officer,” she said. “Supt. Clarke's actions demonstrated both were absent.”
“The public needs to bear witness that the Toronto Police Service has no tolerance for this type of conduct and will hold those who demonstrate such irreparable behavior accountable,” McElary-Downer said.
