POLICE UNION BEEFS UP PROTECTION

Stewards to fight 'harassment' of drug investigators

Toronto's police union, fed up with what it calls mounting harassment
of drug squad officers by the internal affairs unit, plans to assign
chief stewards to each drug unit and provide 24-hour access to union
lawyers.

"We're tired of our guys being harassed. We are going to ensure they
have counsel all the time, to answer any questions they may have,"
said Craig Bromell, president of the 7,000-member Toronto Police
Association.

Although the union already has an average of four stewards working in
each division, assigning union monitors to specialized units, such as
the force's three main drug squads, is new.

The measure is necessary given events of the last nine months, Bromell
said, referring to recent allegations of corruption against several
officers in the central field command drug squad, the group
responsible for downtown.

Investigations by internal affairs officers normally are kept quiet,
but this particular probe has been splashed across the front pages of
newspapers, causing deep concern within the union.

Union officials feel the publicity has put the internal affairs unit
under enormous pressure to lay charges against officers, even if there
is no credible evidence to do so, Bromell said.

The decision to bolster the union's presence within specialized units
came at a meeting Tuesday and followed last week's stunning news that
one of the central drug squad officers - Constable Mark Denton - had
been charged with possession of hashish for the purpose of
trafficking.

The charge against the veteran officer followed a two-month probe by
internal affairs investigators.

Denton was pulled over in York Region by the Ontario Provincial Police
on Nov. 17. During the stop, police found hashish in his car. The
discovery led to the dismissal of several drug cases on which Denton
had worked.

Some of Denton's drug squad colleagues have been under scrutiny by
internal affairs investigators since last April. That probe was
launched after several defence lawyers filed a formal complaint
against members of the central drug squad.

The allegations include the use of illegally obtained search warrants
and the theft of cash and jewelry from drug suspects.

None of the officers at the centre of those allegations have been
charged with anything, but sources have indicated that the internal
affairs investigators will soon wrap up the case and present their
findings to Chief David Boothby.

Bromell said the allegations have left a cloud over the drug squad
officers, all of whom have been assigned to different duties. He said
by having a steward work within the drug squads, the union can ensure
that any legal problems that may arise with search warrants,
testimony, or questions of conduct can be addressed quickly by union
lawyers.

The police union executive is to meet next week to vote on whether to
implement the plan, Bromell said.

Deputy Chief Bob Kerr, who oversees drug units in the east and north
ends of the city, said it will be "business as usual" if the union
goes ahead and assigns stewards to his drug squads.

Kerr said as long the union doesn't interfere in normal operations, he
doesn't have a problem with one of his drug officers also being a steward.

"On the surface, if it's the same role they (union stewards) are
playing in the divisions then I don't have any problem with it," Kerr
said.