Two officers charged with sexual assault causing injuries. A third charged with attacking a police officer. All three are back in Canada. All three are still getting paid. The chief says he is "waiting for details."
Let's be very clear about what happened here.
Three off-duty Toronto police officers went on vacation to Barcelona. On May 13, in the Ciutat Vella district, two of them allegedly sexually assaulted a sex worker inside a taxi. The third officer was arrested two days later in Palma de Mallorca for attacking a Spanish police officer.
All three appeared in court on May 15. All three are now back in Canada. All three have been suspended from the Toronto Police Service. And all three are still collecting their paycheques.
According to Catalonia's Mossos d'Esquadra police force and multiple Spanish media outlets, the incident went down like this: The officers got into a taxi in Barcelona's old city district. A sex worker was involved. Two of the officers allegedly sexually assaulted her and caused physical injuries. Spanish police arrested two officers on May 13 and tracked down the third two days later in Mallorca.
The three officers have been identified by Canadian media as Evan Glennie, Rich Rand, and Caglar Yigit.
Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw broke his silence on May 20, telling Newstalk 1010: "I confirmed their suspensions. We are making efforts to connect with the police in Spain to get the details we need for our processes to commence."
Under Ontario's Community Safety and Policing Act, officers who are suspended generally continue to receive their salary unless specific conditions are met to withhold it. The TPS says they are "waiting for information" from Spain that could change the officers' pay status.
In other words: three cops allegedly assaulted a woman in a foreign country, got arrested, got charged, appeared in court, flew home, and are now sitting on their couches collecting full salary while the Toronto Police Service figures out how to get paperwork from Barcelona.
Mayor Olivia Chow said public trust in policing "is fundamental" and that the police chief has "quite a bit of work to do to earn back" that trust.
This is not a story about three bad cops. This is a story about a system that protects its own at every turn. Three officers are accused of sexual assault in a foreign country and the institutional response is to suspend them with pay and wait for Spanish paperwork. The alleged victim is still in Barcelona. The officers are back in Toronto. Life goes on.
The Toronto Police Service has approximately 5,000 sworn officers. The starting salary is roughly $73,000 and climbs to over $107,000 within four years. These three officers will continue collecting that salary for the foreseeable future.
This is the system working exactly as designed. That is the problem.
This story is developing. We will update as new information becomes available. The officers have not been convicted and are presumed innocent under Canadian law.