Officer "penalized'

Durham officers "penalized"

Constable fled crashed car after bar stop, police say

DURHAM -- A hockey night out on the town for some officers courtesy of Durham Regional Police unravelled recently when a post-game bar stopover ended in a car crash and penalties for "willful blindness" and misconduct. Constable Richard Robinson received a demotion for "discreditable conduct" in a police disciplinary hearing after he drove his car into a ditch, fled the scene and then dumped equipment belonging to the force in the garbage around midnight on Dec. 14.
Robinson also faces charges of careless driving and leaving the scene of an accident under the provincial Highway Traffic Act.
Constable Tim Wray, who was working that night and didn't attend the game, lost three days' pay for "willful blindness" in his handling of the accident when he went to the scene, according to sources familiar with the incident.
"Anytime allegations of professional wrongdoing come forward, we take these matters seriously and investigate them thoroughly," said David Selby, spokesman for Durham Regional Police.
"This matter was thoroughly investigated by independent officers in our professional standards unit. As a result, the two officers received punishment under the Police Services Act."
In response to questions from the Star, Durham police said the force had rewarded four officers in its Whitby detachment for unidentified "outstanding work" in December, giving them paid time off and free hockey tickets at the "end of their shift" to see an Oshawa Generals junior game.
The officers were not on duty while at the game, Mr. Selby noted in an email.
The officers attended the game at the General Motors Centre, which started at 7:30 p.m. and ended at 10 p.m. The hometown Generals won 3-2 over the Belleville Bulls.
After the game, police said, the officers headed to the Thirsty Monk pub, a few slapshots away from the arena. When Const. Robinson, one of the officers, left for home later in his car, he lost control and landed in a ditch off a Whitby road a few kilometres from the pub.
Const. Robinson called an on-duty officer to pick him up at a location near the accident, according to police. That officer drove him to downtown Oshawa.
Durham police would not say whether the on-duty officer or anyone else conducted a blood-alcohol breathalyzer test on Const. Robinson.
Two sources familiar with the incident said the on-duty officer was Const. Wray, who was working on a local RIDE check. Police would not confirm that information.
Police said they received other calls about the crash and a sergeant went to investigate. That resulted in charges against Const. Robinson of careless driving and leaving the scene of an accident. A court has adjourned the case until next month.
There was no evidence to support any other charges of improper conduct against Const. Robinson, police said.
Mr. Selby would not comment on whether the actions of the two officers had amounted to an attempted coverup.
The force's professional standards unit investigated and charged Const. Robinson with discreditable conduct. An internal police disposition report on the incident after his hearing disclosed he fled the scene and "purposely discarded police-issue equipment in the garbage."
Police would not identify the equipment.
Const. Robinson, 40, received a four-month reduction in his rank, from first- to second-class constable, for leaving the accident scene. It effectively meant a loss in gross pay of about $2,700.
Meanwhile, the on-duty officer was disciplined for displaying a "willful blindness while involved in a situation with an off-duty officer," the same disposition report showed. Police would not disclose any other details about what the "blindness" entailed.
The report indicated the officer forfeited 24 hours of pay, or about $960. Durham Police would not disclose any other details about the resolution of his case, including his name, because it did not involve a public hearing.
Constables Robinson and Wray could not be reached for comment.
The incident is the latest example of Durham officers running into legal trouble.
Officers policing the sprawling region east of Toronto have been hit with charges over the past two years, ranging from drug trafficking to sexual assault, possession of child pornography, speeding and impaired driving. One officer pleaded guilty recently to stealing a shotgun from a dead man.
Police Chief Mike Ewles has also faced allegations of interfering in cases and refusing a search by security staff at a hockey game. Authorities later exonerated him of wrongdoing in each incident.

Article: http://www.durhamregion.com/news/crime/article/1578789--durham-officers-penalized