Jeff Lagerquist, CTVNews.ca Writer @jefflagerquist
Published Monday, January 29, 2018 9:09PM EST Last Updated Tuesday, January 30, 2018 9:07AM EST
Two Toronto police officers who called for backup after allegedly consuming marijuana edibles have been suspended, according to police sources.
Const. Vito Dominelli and Const. Jamie Young from Toronto’s 13 Division were conducting plain-clothed surveillance in the city’s north end around 1 a.m. on Sunday. One officer reported that he felt like he was going to pass out and said his partner had left their vehicle.
Sources told CP24 that the call for assistance was made after one of the officers ended up in a tree.
Police from a neighbouring division were brought in to help. An officer responding to the scene slipped on ice and sustained a serious head injury. Paramedics said two people were taken to hospital. The Toronto Police Association said the officer who slipped suffered a concussion, but is now okay.
Mike McCormack, the president of the Toronto Police Association, declined to comment on the circumstances of the incident. He confirmed the two officers alleged to have consumed the marijuana edibles have been suspended with pay pending an investigation by the Professional Standards Unit.
McCormack told CP24 that the officers involved “could be charged or they could just be cleared through the investigation.”
It remains unclear where the officers may have got the marijuana products. Sources told CTV Toronto that investigators are looking into whether they were seized as evidence during a dispensary raid.
Const. Dominelli has cultivated a considerable social media following by posting videos in uniform where he engages in light-hearted activities, like lip synching to music. His Twitter profile has been deleted and his Instagram account is now set to private.
McCormack said there are concerns over some officers’ social media presence. He did not specifically connect the issue to the investigation of Const. Dominelli and Const. Young.
“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.”
With files from CTV Toronto’s Tracy Tong and CP24
