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Two Toronto police officers who allegedly consumed marijuana edibles and radio called for assistance while on duty have been suspended, according to police sources.
Speaking with CP24 over the phone on Monday, Toronto police spokesperson Mark Pugash confirmed two officers are being investigated by the Professional Standards Unit but would not say what led to the investigation.
Pugash said the pair will appear before a tribunal, but could not confirm when.
President of the Toronto Police Association Mike McCormack also said he would not be commenting on the investigation but confirmed that two officers have been suspended with pay pending an investigation.
“All I can tell you is that there is an ongoing investigation,” he said. “I’m not aware of the specific allegations around the investigation and I’m not going to comment or speculate until the investigation is complete.”
McCormack added the officers at the centre of this investigation “could be charged or they could just be cleared through the investigation.”
Sources told CP24 over the weekend that the two cops allegedly consumed the marijuana edibles while on duty. The pair called for help after one of the officers ended up in a tree, the sources said.
A female officer responding to the scene reportedly slipped and sustained a serious head injury.
It is not clear where the officers got the marijuana edibles from but sources said investigators are looking into whether they were stolen during a dispensary raid.
Toronto Paramedics told Newstalk1010 they received a report of someone needing assistance with a medical condition in the area of Oakwood Avenue and Vaughan Road at around 1 a.m. on Sunday.
Two people were taken to hospital for various reasons as a result, paramedics said.
CP24 has learned Const. Vito Dominelli and Const. Jamie Young are the two officers in question.
Dominelli has been popular on social media through posting videos of him lip synching to music while in uniform. However, his Twitter account has recently been made private and his Instagram account has been wiped clean.
McCormack said while officers using social media to communicate with the public is important, it “walks a fine line.”
“There are inherent risks to that and whatever you’re posting, whether that demeans the job or diminishes what we do in policing,” McCormack said. “Social media, we think is an important piece of the culture and communicating but there has to be a balance.”
McCormack added that this investigation comes at a time of a “serious” shortage in police staffing.
“I am always concerned when something belittles what we do in policing and doesn’t represent us in the right light. I don’t want the public to be under the misconception that we have a bunch of officers who have nothing to do but use social media.”
