JUNKIE COP PLEADS GUILTY

Video Catches Officer Smoking Crack In Cruiser

A now-suspended city police officer was caught on a police
surveillance video smoking crack cocaine and snorting the painkiller
oxycodone in his cruiser while on duty in 2007.

Jeffrey Glen Servos, 31, pleaded guilty Monday in Ontario Court to
one count of possession of a controlled substance -- cocaine.

The date for Servos's sentencing has yet to be set. Lawyers will
return to court on Oct. 28 to determine a date for a sentencing
hearing that could last a day.

Servos also faces charges under the Police Services Act. He remains
suspended with pay.

An agreed statement of facts filed with the court indicated that
surveillance showed Servos snorting a prescription painkiller and
smoking crack cocaine in his cruiser while on duty the night of June 20, 2007.

The statement of facts detailed Servos's addiction problems, as known
to city police, dating to 2005. According to the statement, Servos
confided his drug dependency to superior officers three times, and
each time sought counselling and treatment.

His addiction first became known in March 2005 when he told a
supervisor that he was addicted to OxyContin. Servos entered a
voluntary 30-day counselling program at Bellwood House in Toronto.

He was declared fit on April 6, 2005, and he returned to work as a
member of the downtown Better Enforcement Action Team.

Servos' performance and well-being deteriorated between Aug. 30,
2005, and June 27, 2006. He was late for duty and was disciplined
informally for a time off issue.

On June 27, 2006, Servos disclosed his dependency on pain medication
for a second time to a superior officer. He was suspended from duty
and ordered to take treatment.

Servos enrolled in a residential treatment program at Homewood Health
Centre in Guelph. Following his stay, he agreed to abstain from
alcohol, drugs or other mood-altering substances.

He also entered a behaviour contract with Dr. G. Cunningham in which
he agreed to take part in a 36-week aftercare program and submit to
random urine drug screens as requested by a counsellor.

Servos's suspension from duty was lifted on Aug. 27, 2006, and he was
reassigned as a community patrol officer. As part of his return to
duty, he agreed to provide random urine tests for two years and take
part in a Narcotics Anonymous program.

Seven months later, on March 29, 2007, Servos told a superior officer
that he was having a hard time with his treatment. It was the third
time in two years that Servos spoke to a senior officer about his addictions.

About a week later, Servos provided documents to the police chief
stating that he was involved with a local outreach program, that his
random urine tests had negative results and that his Narcotics
Anonymous sessions were progressing well.

ENTERED METHADONE PROGRAM

On May 1, 2007, Servos entered a methadone treatment program,
unbeknownst to city police or Homewood Health Care staff.

On May 7, 2007, a progress report was sent by Cunningham at Homewood
to the deputy chief of police. The report stated that Servos was
abstaining from substances, attending aftercare, going in the right
direction and doing the right things. Cunningham did not know Servos
had entered a methadone program.

On May 25, 2007, police received information from a person under
arrest that an officer named Jeff was illegally buying oxycodone pills.

Because of this information, combined with Servos's ongoing addiction
history, a decision was made to target Servos with undercover
surveillance while he was on duty.

On June 20, 2007, at about 6:30 p. m., Servos was caught on video,
sitting in his cruiser on Grand River Avenue where he put an
oxycodone pill in his mouth, took it out, crushed it with a bank card
and then snorted it.

Between 6:30 p. m. and 11:55 p. m., Servos conducted a traffic stop,
investigated a complaint at Grace Anglican Church and arrested a
person wanted on an outstanding warrant.

While still on duty at 11:55 p. m., Servos was caught on videotape
taking a package of crack cocaine from his pants pocket and smoking a
piece of it.

From then until the end of his shift at 2 a. m., Servos had no
direct contact with members of the public. Other on-duty officers
attended to eight other calls for service that were received from
midnight to 2 a. m.

On June 23, 2007, Servos reported for his day shift. He was
interviewed and he admitted having relapsed just after completing the
36-week Homewood outreach program. He was arrested for possession of
a controlled substance.

Servos consented to a search of his personal vehicle, his lunch bag
and his duty bag. One 80-milligram oxycodone pill was found in the
armrest of the driver's side door of his vehicle.

He provided a urine sample for analysis after his arrest, as part of
his former return to work agreement.

The sample was tested at the Centre of Forensic Science in Toronto.
Detected in the sample were oxycodone, methadone, a metabolite of
cocaine, and ephedrine/pseudoephedrine.