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Toronto: Two Toronto police officers who were captured on camera mocking a woman with Down syndrome during a traffic stop have apologized for their conduct but will not do so in front of a camera, as requested by the woman’s family.
The incident occurred on Nov. 5, 2016 in Etobicoke at Royal York Road and the Queensway but only came to light in June when Pamela Munoz received footage from a dashboard camera as part of disclosure prior to a court date.
The footage captured the officers in their cruiser mocking Munoz’s daughter Francie, who had been sitting in the back seat at the time of the traffic stop. During the footage, one of the officers is heard calling Francie “disfigured” and suggests that he would use “artistic” as his “new code word for different.” The other officer, meanwhile, is repeatedly heard laughing in response to his partner’s remarks.
Speaking with CP24 on Friday morning, Pamela Munoz said that her husband had asked Toronto Police Association President Mike McCormack for a private apology from the officers as well as a public apology that would be recorded on camera but were told that while the officers would meet with the family in private, they would not speak publicly about the incident.
“A written statement is not going to do it for us,” Munoz said at the time. “She (Francie) is upset. She is upset that she is not getting a public apology and her friends aren’t getting a public apology because to her it is really important that everyone who has this kind of disability gets an apology.”
Officers release written apology
A few hours after Munoz spoke with CP24, the officers sent a written apology to the Munoz family which was in turn released to the media by the Toronto Police Association.
In the statement, constables Sasa Sljivo and Matthew Saris say that their remarks were “inappropriate, disrespectful and unprofessional” and vowed not to repeat their “lapse in judgment.”
“We regret the emotional distress we caused to you, your family and the broader community,” the statement reads.
MCormack told CP24 following the release of the apology that the officers have wanted to sit down and personally apologize to the Munoz family from “the very beginning” but were rebuffed because they wouldn’t agree to participate in what he called a “public shaming” and a “media show.”
He said it is “unfortunate” that they won’t get a chance to sit down with the family and atone for their actions in person.
“This isn’t about a media show; this is about the right thing and that’s what they wanted to do,” he said.
For her part, Munoz told CP24 on Friday afternoon that she is “very disappointed” that the officers are refusing to apologize on camera and only issued a statement “that looks like a template apology” and could have been written by anyone.
She said the videotaped apology is important because it is not just her daughter who was hurt by the comments made by the officers.
“They didn’t just insult her; they insulted an entire community,” she said.
Munoz previously told CP24 that she was “starting the process” of filing a human rights complaint over the comments made by the officers and on Friday afternoon she reiterated that, vowing to “pursue it and see how far” it can go.
She said that all four members of her family, including Francie, will attend an Aug. 15 hearing, where the officers are expected to face Police Services Act charges.
Police have not yet revealed the exact charges the officers are facing.
“Hopefully we get to make a statement,” Munoz said.
Police Chief Mark Saunders has previously met with Munoz’s family to apologize on behalf of the force.
Mayor Tory has also spoken out about the conduct of the officers, calling it “profoundly unacceptable.”
