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Badgeless G20 police will respond individually
The 90 Toronto police officers accused of removing their name tags during G20 demonstrations will have to respond to the allegations individually, their union says.
“There could be numerous explanations as to why their name tags were not affixed to their uniforms,” said Mike McCormack, head of the Toronto Police Association.
Chief Bill Blair of the Toronto Police Service told a Commons public safety committee Wednesday that 90 officers will face disciplinary action for failing to wear their ID badge during the June G20 summit. Most will likely losing a day’s pay, he said.
During committee questioning, Blair said he believed some of the 90 officers were trying to hide their identities during the G20, but it was an individual choice in each case.
Vancouver Kingsway MP Don Davies doubted Blair’s interpretation.
“That sounds like a conspiracy to me,” he said.
Blair responded that “the matter was investigated very thoroughly and individuals are held accountable for the choices that they make.”
The name tags are affixed with Velcro and are easy to remove.
Punishment amounts to $300
McCormack, the union president, said the badges could have been removed during scuffles.
“I find it very difficult to believe that 90 officers have the same explanation for removing their name tags,” he said.
He said depending on the reason someone removed the badge, he’d expect the punishment to range from a reprimand to the loss of a day’s pay, which he said is usually about $300.
The Toronto Police Services Board, a civilian agency that oversees the police force, made name tags mandatory in 2006. The decision angered the Toronto police union, which had argued the name tags would put officers in jeopardy by enabling criminals to identify and stalk them.
But the board said name tags would ensure officers were held accountable for their actions. It also said the move would humanize police officers by allowing people to know their names instead of their badge numbers.
Toronto Police received 13 public complaints about officers without name tags during the G20 summit, which saw police clash with protesters both peaceful and violent.
Investigators looked at more than 20,000 hours of videotape to find the 90 accused.
About 1,100 people were arrested during the G20 weekend in Toronto, but only 308 were charged. Charges against about 100 others were dropped on Oct. 15.
Source: http://www.cbc.ca/politics/story/2010/11/04/toronto-g20-police-badges.html