By Steve Fairbairn, The Associated Press
TORONTO (CP) -- Toronto’s scandal-plagued police force took another step Tuesday to shore up its tarnished image as its chief offered to be the first to undergo a major proposed reform: random drug testing.
The recommendation for drug testing came in a report on cleaning up corruption commissioned by police Chief Julian Fantino after allegations against the force’s now-disbanded drug squad, which led to criminal charges against six officers this year.
“I’ll be the first one to volunteer to undergo random drug tests,” Fantino told a news conference.
The proposal for some form of drug testing addresses a serious concern, said the author of the report, retired Ontario justice George Ferguson.
“If a police officer has a gun and he is with another police officer and he has a drug problem, ... the immediate risk to himself, to the other officer, and to the members of the public, (is an) unbelievable risk,” Ferguson said.
Ferguson’s 32 recommendations include moving the internal affairs department out of headquarters so it would have more independence, mandatory drug testing for officers in certain sensitive positions, and more aggressive and thorough background checks for potential recruits.
The retired judge can also make further recommendations, Fantino said.
“His greatly expanded mandate will accelerate our process of change,” Fantino said. “I believe the people of Toronto and the Toronto Police Service will be the winners as a result.”
Some of Ferguson’s recommendations have already been implemented, but others such as drug testing have not.
Ontario’s Human Rights Commission has issued a policy that random drug testing can only be used in “limited circumstances” and is an obstacle in this case, Ferguson said.
“I asked them if they would give me a preliminary opinion on the matter and they turned me down,” he said.
But Ferguson expressed confidence that random drug tests will eventually be approved.
Despite the tough recommendations, wrongdoing is not widespread on the police force, Ferguson said.
“This is not a corrupt police service,” he said. “If I had found otherwise, it would have been in my report.”
Tuesday’s news conference came a day after four officers were charged under the Ontario Police Services Act.
The 14 charges stem from allegations that some officers were linked to a used-car dealership that was believed to be a conduit for money laundering.
They are to appear before a police tribunal Wednesday.
The city’s police board has decided not to order an outside probe into the latest scandal.