/PG/ Toronto, Ontario [Canada] (Signal High) for BadCop.Online —– Not too long ago, a community leader in Toronto remarked, “It’s damn near impossible to get a cop fired in this city. They’re *never* held to account.” But today was not one of those days. Today, a Toronto police officer was fired.
Constable Douglas Jason Holmes of the Toronto Police Service was dismissed after he pleaded guilty to eight conduct offences under the Police Services Act, the law that governs police conduct in Ontario.
Holmes, a police Constable since 2008, was recently convicted in the criminal courts for assaulting and causing serious bodily harm to a cyclist. The incident was highly publicized. It was this conviction, and eight instances of misconduct, spanning four years, that led to his dismissal. The misconduct included being abusive to members of the public, sending rude and inappropriate text messages and e-mails to other officers, supervisors, his unit commander, retired police service members and to his own professional standards unit. Holmes chose not to attend the hearing but was represented by a lawyer.
Inspector Susan Gomes (pictured above), the police commander who decisioned the matter, ruled that Holmes “violated the public trust by not living up to his oath of office on multiple occasions …” and that he should be dismissed within seven days, unless he first resigns. Gomes found that Holmes was guilty of eight counts of misconduct, six of discreditable conduct and two of insubordination.
You can read the full decision [here].
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