Toronto's first black police commissioner demoted after helping black cops cheat on promotions

Toronto's first black police commissioner was demoted after admitting to helping several black police officers cheat in order to get them promoted.

Trailblazing police officer Stacy Clarke has been disciplined after she was found to have played a “leading role” in the 2021 corruption scandal. A court on Wednesday classified the scandal as “extremely serious” misconduct, the Toronto Star reported.

“Honesty and integrity are non-negotiable characteristics of a police officer. Superintendent Clarke's actions demonstrated that both were lacking,” said Judge Robin McElary-Downer.

Clarke got into trouble last year when she admitted to taking photos of confidential interview questions and sending them to six black candidates applying for sergeant jobs, the newspaper reported.

At a sentencing hearing in May, she claimed it was a “desperate attempt to level the playing field.”

“I felt at the time that (the six officers) did not have a fair chance in this process, and my own history and experience of racial inequality reinforced that feeling,” Clarke insisted in an internal report.

The senior official was demoted to the role of inspector for two years before she can reapply for her old job, CBC reported. Her defence lawyer argued the demotion should only last a year to a year and a half and she should automatically get the job back.

“I'm just very disappointed and sad about it,” Clarke told the media after the decision, while her supporters described the punishment as harsh.

McElary-Downer, the judge, reportedly said the superintendent's conduct “undoubtedly shattered the trust that the public had in her and, by extension, in the Toronto Police Service.”

She noted that despite the scandal, Clarke had had an “admirable career” and was a “rock star.”

Toronto police said they respected the outcome and noted that the department's leaders should be held to the “highest standards,” but said the agency needs to do more to diversify all ranks.

“We recognize that this case has raised a number of issues that the service is addressing,” Chief Myron Demkiw said, according to CBC.