Latest news with #PoliceServicesAct
CBC
6 days ago
- General
- CBC
Windsor police officer faces new charge after pleading guilty in harassment case
A Windsor police officer who last month pleaded guilty to making harassing phone calls to a female colleague is now facing a new charge of uttering threats. Const. Joshua Smith pleaded guilty to criminal harassment and indecent communications at the end of April. Those charges stemmed from 2023, when Smith called the victim several times while moaning and breathing heavily, according to an agreed upon statement of facts. The Windsor Police Service disclosed on Wednesday that Smith "has also recently been charged with uttering threats." Spokesperson Gary Francoeur said the new charge is not related to the previous case, but did not provide additional details. Smith's lawyer was not immediately available to comment. Smith is already facing a charge of discreditable conduct under the Police Services Act as a result of last month's guilty plea. Francoeur said an internal investigation will begin after Smith's latest criminal case is completed. "As the internal disciplinary process is underway, we will not comment further at this time," Francoeur added. Smith has been suspended with pay since he was first charged in September 2023. Windsor Police Service's most recent Sunshine List shows that a Const. Joshua F. A. Smith was paid $125,320 in 2024. Police chiefs in Ontario have advocated for years for legislative change that would give them more power to fire or suspend officers without pay. The province passed a new law that expanded those powers somewhat — but it didn't take effect until last year.
CTV News
03-05-2025
- CTV News
Thunder Bay police officer charged following collision last year
A Thunder Bay Police Service (TBPS) officer has been charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle in connection with a 2024 collision that followed a police pursuit. The Ontario Provincial Police announced the charge against a 37-year-old constable in a news release this week. The incident occurred on Feb. 29, 2024, when a TBPS vehicle and a civilian car collided at the southern end of Neebing Avenue. Police watchdog investigation closed, outside of mandate According to a previous news release from the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), the officer had been pursuing the 31-year-old male driver for roughly four-and-a-half minutes over seven kilometres before the crash. The man was subsequently arrested and taken to hospital. The SIU, Ontario's civilian police oversight agency, initially investigated but discontinued its probe in June 2024 after reviewing medical records. Director Joseph Martino stated no fractures or serious injuries were confirmed, meaning the incident fell outside the SIU's mandate. The OPP took over the case at TBPS's request in July 2024. The officer is scheduled to appear in court on May 28 to answer the dangerous operation charge. CTV News contacted TBPS about the officer's employment status but has not received a response. Previous disciplinary issues The constable involved has previously faced disciplinary action. In 2023, they pleaded guilty at a Police Services Act hearing to three counts of misconduct – discreditable conduct, insubordination, and unlawful exercise of authority – stemming from a January 2022 encounter with an Indigenous man. Body-worn camera footage showed the officer using profanity, grabbing the man's arm, and pushing him against a bus shelter. As a result, the officer was temporarily demoted and ordered to complete Indigenous-focused training.
CBC
30-04-2025
- CBC
Windsor police officer pleads guilty to harassment, indecent communications
Social Sharing A Windsor police officer accused of making harassing phone calls to a colleague pleaded guilty in Windsor court on Wednesday. Const. Joshua Smith was in court on a harassment charge, as well as one for indecent communications, stemming from incidents in September 2023. Smith appeared in court with lawyer Shane Miles. In an agreed statement, assistant crown attorney Heather McIntyre said Smith phoned a woman repeatedly over a two-week period, each time not saying anything but moaning and breathing heavily. The victim made recordings of some of the phone calls, some of which lasted several minutes, and reported the calls to police. McIntyre said that because the calls came in when the victim was not at work, she believed the person knew her work schedule. The court heard the victim was also employed by the Windsor Police Service. Smith was arrested on Sept. 25, 2023, and charged with three offences — harassment, indecent communications and harassing communications. Miles, Smith's lawyer, confirmed his client pleaded guilty to two charges but could not comment on the third. He said his client did not have a statement to offer while the matter was before the courts. In a statement, a Windsor police spokesperson said the service "acknowledges that one of our members, Const. Joshua Smith, has pleaded guilty to criminal harassment and indecent telecommunication." "Const. Smith now faces one charge of discreditable conduct in accordance with the Police Services Act, the legislation that was in effect at the time of the allegations," said Gary Francoeur in a written statement. "He has been suspended with pay since September 2023, under the provisions of the legislation governing police conduct in Ontario." When the charges were first reported by Windsor police in September 2023, two days after his arrest, police said the incidents occurred while Smith was off duty and that Smith had been a member of the police service for five years. Smith is expected back in court on June 23.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ottawa police detective found guilty of discreditable conduct
An Ottawa police detective has been found guilty of discreditable conduct following a lengthy police disciplinary hearing into allegations she invaded the privacy of families by inappropriately accessing files of dead children and asking one parent about a vaccination status. Const. Helen Grus, a detective with the Ottawa Police Service's sexual assault and child abuse unit, was accused of self-initiating "an unauthorized project" by accessing case files to which she wasn't assigned. She also faced accusations that, in late January 2022, she interfered in an investigation by calling and speaking with the father of a deceased infant — inquiring about the COVID-19 vaccination status of the mother. She was suspended with pay a short while later. Grus felt duty-bound to investigate The crux of Grus's argument, as presented to the hearing, was that she took reasonable steps based on a firm belief and that she was unfairly charged for upholding her oath. In his decision, Supt. (retired) Chris Renwick details that the detective noticed a "doubling or tripling of infant deaths" and saw it as "her duty to investigative criminal negligence on the part of the government." Grus' defence lawyer, Bath-Shéba van den Berg, submitted that there is no such thing as an unauthorized investigation and no such thing as unlawful interference by making a phone call for policing purposes, according to Renwick's summary. She told the tribunal that Grus had intended to inform her chain of command of her actions, but her suspension prevented it — as did former police Chief Peter Sloly's departure soon after. The decision also notes that, according to Grus' lawyers, she was shut down by a lie concocted by her unit that led to the "never seen before" charge, influenced by "political control of the police." Renwick's decision also details that, in her affidavit, Grus determined that she "at most" stepped on her colleague's toes. But in the end, the hearing officer wasn't buying it Renwick said Grus' description of events demonstrated, at best, a poorly thought-out criminal negligence investigation, kept from her higher ups and "with national implications far beyond her individual capabilities and resources." "It can certainly be viewed as an attempted weaponization/politicalization of police powers to exert pressure on municipal, provincial, and federal health officials," Renwick wrote. He wrote that Grus' failure to document her call with the father only compounded the potential damage to the lead investigator's relationship and trust with the family. Renwick said, while he accepted the underlying motivation was one of concern, he found Grus had applied her own personal views, formed by her self-initiated research and her strong opposition to her employer's decision to implement a mandatory vaccination policy. Issues with decorum He found her guilty under the Police Services Act. "Grus allowed her personal beliefs and opinions to seep into her professional responsibilities and cloud her judgment and, ultimately, her professional conduct," he wrote. In his decision, Renwick also took aim at some of the behaviour he saw throughout the hearing, which kicked off in August of 2023. He said poor decorum by counsel led to "name calling and accusations," with constant objections adding several days to the hearings. He said disruptions by members of the public were another issue, with the hearing having to be stopped on two occasions to remove disruptive persons. He said police eventually had to initiate a security protocol, significantly adding to the tension within the room. According to the police service on Tuesday, no dates have been set for submissions on penalty as of yet. The Ottawa Police Association said Tuesday Grus is still employed by the Ottawa police. The police service settled a civil claim related to Grus' actions in December 2023. In April 2024 Grus launched a lawsuit against the CBC over articles concerning the accusations. That legal proceeding has not been resolved.
CBC
26-03-2025
- CBC
Ottawa police detective found guilty of discreditable conduct
Social Sharing An Ottawa police detective has been found guilty of discreditable conduct following a lengthy police disciplinary hearing into allegations she invaded the privacy of families by inappropriately accessing files of dead children and asking one parent about a vaccination status. Const. Helen Grus, a detective with the Ottawa Police Service's sexual assault and child abuse unit, was accused of self-initiating "an unauthorized project" by accessing case files to which she wasn't assigned. She also faced accusations that, in late January 2022, she interfered in an investigation by calling and speaking with the father of a deceased infant — inquiring about the COVID-19 vaccination status of the mother. She was suspended with pay a short while later. Grus felt duty-bound to investigate The crux of Grus's argument, as presented to the hearing, was that she took reasonable steps based on a firm belief and that she was unfairly charged for upholding her oath. In his decision, Supt. (retired) Chris Renwick details that the detective noticed a "doubling or tripling of infant deaths" and saw it as "her duty to investigative criminal negligence on the part of the government." Grus' defence lawyer, Bath-Shéba van den Berg, submitted that there is no such thing as an unauthorized investigation and no such thing as unlawful interference by making a phone call for policing purposes, according to Renwick's summary. She told the tribunal that Grus had intended to inform her chain of command of her actions, but her suspension prevented it — as did former police Chief Peter Sloly's departure soon after. The decision also notes that, according to Grus' lawyers, she was shut down by a lie concocted by her unit that led to the "never seen before" charge, influenced by "political control of the police." Renwick's decision also details that, in her affidavit, Grus determined that she "at most" stepped on her colleague's toes. But in the end, the hearing officer wasn't buying it Renwick said Grus' description of events demonstrated, at best, a poorly thought-out criminal negligence investigation, kept from her higher ups and "with national implications far beyond her individual capabilities and resources." "It can certainly be viewed as an attempted weaponization/politicalization of police powers to exert pressure on municipal, provincial, and federal health officials," Renwick wrote. He wrote that Grus' failure to document her call with the father only compounded the potential damage to the lead investigator's relationship and trust with the family. Renwick said, while he accepted the underlying motivation was one of concern, he found Grus had applied her own personal views, formed by her self-initiated research and her strong opposition to her employer's decision to implement a mandatory vaccination policy. Issues with decorum He found her guilty under the Police Services Act. "Grus allowed her personal beliefs and opinions to seep into her professional responsibilities and cloud her judgment and, ultimately, her professional conduct," he wrote. In his decision, Renwick also took aim at some of the behaviour he saw throughout the hearing, which kicked off in August of 2023. He said poor decorum by counsel led to "name calling and accusations," with constant objections adding several days to the hearings. He said disruptions by members of the public were another issue, with the hearing having to be stopped on two occasions to remove disruptive persons. He said police eventually had to initiate a security protocol, significantly adding to the tension within the room. According to the police service on Tuesday, no dates have been set for submissions on penalty as of yet. The Ottawa Police Association said Tuesday Grus is still employed by the Ottawa police. The police service settled a civil claim related to Grus' actions in December 2023. In April 2024 Grus launched a lawsuit against the CBC over articles concerning the accusations. That legal proceeding has not been resolved.
