THE DARK SIDE OF THE FORCE

"Bad cop!" The words stagger the ranks of the Toronto Police Service
like a punch in the gut.

Canada's largest city police force has been hit with criminal and
internal charges against some of its officers.

Morale among the 7,000 members sinks even further when they hear a
20-year veteran cop at 51 Div. has been charged in a sexual assault
against a female prisoner.

Already, the force is dealing with allegations of drug dealers being
ripped off; an 18-year drug-squad veteran charged with possession for
the purpose of trafficking; five officers accused of dipping into
police informants' funds; a 25-year veteran charged with accepting a
bribe; five officers charged under the Police Act in an alleged
coverup for fellow officers who were drinking the night an undercover
cop was murdered.

In York Region, one constable is committed to trial on second-degree
murder charges in a shooting death during an attempted arrest. Two
officers will be tried on lesser charges, including assault with a
weapon and aggravated assault.

The legal actions weigh heavily on Toronto Chief Julian
Fantino.

'HURTFUL ... DAMAGING'

While Fantino won't discuss specific cases, he freely admits "clearly,
I am concerned, as is everyone, about the numbers and the frequency of
all of these things.

"I'm the first one to admit that any issue of this nature, where we,
for whatever reason, bring the public trust into question ... it's
very hurtful and very damaging.

"I also am very conscientious about the fact there are things that
happen in one's job, from time to time, that are totally those things
that need to have a certain element of consideration, discretion,
charity and allowance."

However, the chief makes it clear he won't tolerate dishonesty, abuse
of people or major rule bending.

"I am also responsible for the integrity, reputation, the actions of
everyone in the police organization," Fantino says. "I cannot be ...
winking and nudging at certain behaviour or certain breaches of the
public trust because, if the public trust is lost, then everything's
lost and I have, by virtue of my position, my responsibility, my
accountability, betrayed who we are. And I can't allow that."

While most officers agree all serious offences should be dealt with
openly, others are concerned badges have been tarnished needlessly by
investigations of "Mickey Mouse crap" -- behavioural charges.

Internal charges can range from improper notekeeping, sloppy
appearance or eating in a cruiser while on duty to disobeying or
refusing a commander's order, falsifying reports, behaving in a
discreditable manner or refusing to answer questions posed by
investigators, including those with the province's Special
Investigations Unit.

Some officers say they believe action has been taken in some cases
simply because of "grudges" by senior officers.

"When an officer is charged with doing what others get away with, just
because he's seen as a troublemaker or has rubbed a senior officer the
wrong way, it's called 'selective enforcement'," one officer says.

"There are so many little things in the Police Act, plus our own
regulations," the 23-year cop says. "If they want to get you, they'll
get you. If you're in the crosshairs, watch out."

He says because of harassment or too many petty charges, "many coppers
have turned into paycheque collectors because of all the mud they've
gone through." Other officers who have been reprimanded now take a
"FIDO" approach: "F... It, Drive On."

It's an attitude Fantino is working hard to overcome.

One detective says it's obvious the chief is trying to "unpoliticize
the police service," a process that he says started after Chief Harold
Adamson retired in 1980.

"Fantino is like the pendulum, and the pendulum has swung back," he
says. "I and fellow officers are looking for some leadership. One of
the mainstays for Fantino is integrity. I don't think he's asking for
anything much, and now that Fantino is there, there's
accountability."

But police dispatcher "Anne" worries expectations of Fantino are too
high among the rank and file. "I wouldn't want to be in Fantino's
shoes," says Anne, a pseudonym.

"They have so much resting on Fantino. They want Fantino to save them
from what's going on. 'Save me from all the bad apples. Save me from
the unit commander we don't think backs us. Clean up the last five
years, eight years.' Whatever they feel has been downsized."

BADGE TARNISHED

Fellow officer "Joanne" agrees Fantino is under tremendous pressure,
but says the chief owes it to loyal, dedicated officers to nail those
who stray to the wrong side.

Joanne says she got her badge only two years ago, but already feels
it's been tarnished by cases of 'bad cops.'

"It pisses you off because of these officers ... it's absolutely
disgusting," she says. "It's difficult to do your job" when the public
tars all officers with the same brush.

Joanne says she worked hard to earn her uniform and is incensed by
law-breaking officers who violate their oath of duty.

"At first, you feel anger. You look at yourself and then think,
'obviously, he must have had that in him' to break the law ... I guess
you wonder: `Did he take the job for the wrong reasons? And how many
others are there?'

Joanne says some officers are also chilled by the thought there are
cops who are prepared to break the law -- and are authorized to carry
guns.

"That is scary," she says, "and they get in that uniform and there's a
lot they can do."

To maintain the integrity and reputation of the entire force, Joanne
believes any officer caught on the wrong side of the 'thin blue line'
must be dealt with quickly and openly.

It was common practice in the past to deal quietly with bad cops --
striking secret deals behind closed doors to get them off the force
with little public fuss.

In such cases, Joanne reasons, "I think they almost get the last laugh
if they get booted quietly."

A downtown officer says many cops even take pride in the way the force
deals openly with dirty cops. "We're always looking internally," he
says. "The high percentage want to do a good job. It's a small percent
(who) crossed the line."

AIR DIRTY LAUNDRY

But even a few gone wrong can hurt thousands, he says.

"It makes you sick inside every time you hear it. So many of these
things are allegations at this point. If they are proven, they're not
the officers we want beside us.

"It makes you embarrassed at times when you go out and meet the
public. It slowly whittles away at the public's confidence (in
police). It can't help not to."

Fantino obviously believes the best way to keep public confidence is
to fully air dirty laundry.

"You shouldn't be in police work of any kind if you're not prepared to
be totally and absolutely accountable for your actions, and that means
to the public," the chief says.

"We ought to get ourselves focused about how we need to do everything
we can at all times to be honest, forthright, ethical,
professional."

At the same time, however, too many people hold police unreasonably
accountable for all society's ills, Fantino says.

Since becoming chief March 6, Fantino has referred often to a lack of
responsibility and accountability by too many citizens, parents,
social activists, those in the justice system and politicians.

"Why aren't the lawmakers configuring an appropriate response to these
issues?" he asks. "Why aren't the people working in the social
services ... making a difference? Why aren't we rehabilitating career
criminals? Who is responsible?

"I, too, want accountability now," he says. "People can't have it both
ways, including politicians."

Fantino says it's wholly unfair some critics "believe that we're
corrupt, we're out of control, accountable to no one and we have to be
micro-managed."

Agencies such as the SIU were created to respond to complaints about
police. But, Fantino says, legislation for the unit now in its 10th
year "is flawed," because SIU officers can treat cops like criminals,
without the benefits given to private citizens under
investigation.

"In most cases -- 99% of our cases -- our police officers have acted
bravely, lawfully and put their lives at risk and, yet, we are the
subject of a criminal probe," Fantino says. "We're making criminals
out of our heroes.

"I used to talk about how we did our job in a fish bowl. Well, we now
do it under the microscope," Fantino says. "All of that's fine, but I
think at some point in time, people have to come to grips and realize
full well that the police are not machines, that police officers are
caring, conscientious folks, they're not robots; there are human
frailties involved here."

Police often feel "betrayed because the humanity of the job is never
taken into the account," he says. "A split-second decision is reviewed
up, down and sideways" by any number of police, public groups and
courts set up to scrutinize cops.

Some officers "have a lot of experience, some don't and we all come
from different walks of life. But what we're finding is that we're all
supposed to rise to such extraordinary expectations and there is very
little charity out there.

"That's set in, too, that feeling of being under tremendous pressure
to perform to everyone's expectations and if you don't, you get beaten
up," Fantino says. "You can't keep telling people, 'You're bad, you're
bad,' and not have some kind of an outcome. There is frustration, no
doubt about it."

The seasoned detective pauses over his cup of coffee, shaking his head
sadly as he reviews the roll call of cops brought up on charges this
year by Internal Affairs.

He admits he's worried about the effect it will have on the more than
two million people he's sworn to serve and protect.

"We have no product to sell," he says. "You're counting on your
service, your diligence. All I want to do is help the community and
provide them with good service.

"The perks are a nice job and gratitude from the people you help.
Other perks (cops) think they can get are wrong. It takes just a few
seconds of stupidity to ruin a lifetime of integrity."