Police Folk Allegedly Behaving Badly

[daftandbarmy]

I wasn't sure if this fit in the 'bad things' or 'good things' thread, but Hank Idsinga, former head of TPS Homicide, is out with a book that is pretty scathing about senior command. Print articles in the G&M and Star.

I'll bet he doesn't go to their Senior Officers annual mess dinner.

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.7172163

Text from an interview...

“The bad behaviour continues all the way up the ranks”: Hank Idsinga calls out the Toronto Police Service’s rampant corruption​

Are you worried that your criticisms will lead to repercussions from old colleagues or the force itself? Not at all. If people choose to take that position, they can come talk to me about it. I’d respect their position. The book is out in the world now, and there isn’t a lot in it that people should find surprising. We deal with all of these same issues in society as a whole, and as a result, we can’t have blind trust in our institutions. When we call the police, those same societal issues are at play with the person on the other end of the phone, the officer coming to our house and the supervisor overseeing them.

Last Wednesday, the TPS said that the claims you make in the book risk undermining public trust in the police. What’s your reaction to that? Public trust has become a crutch for not addressing internal issues. That same day, the police emailed me a letter inviting me to participate in a complaint investigation. Clearly they didn’t listen to me when I said there’s no point in complaining. I’m not asking for an inquiry. I don’t expect discipline, and I’m not naming people. I just wrote a book about my experiences. It’s an ongoing problem, and short of turning the structure and leadership of the police service on its head, it’s going to continue.

https://torontolife.com/culture/hank-idsinga-interview/

 

[lenaitch]

It seems questionable police leadership is getting called out - which is a good thing.

(I know this one. Not surprised at all)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/saint-john-police-chief-robert-bruce-conduct-opp-lawsuit-heather-harmer-jeffrey-suicide-9.7161491

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/sarnia-police-harassment-complaint-9.7204232

I read a social media post that claimed that Toronto wouldn't have their current problems if they had simply picked Peter Sloly as chief. It made me chuckle.

 

[mariomike]

Are you worried that your criticisms will lead to repercussions from old colleagues or the force itself?

His OMERS pension is secure.

In today's news,

A "multimillion-dollar lawsuit" against Peel Regional Police,

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/peel-police-lawsuit-caledon-shooting-ryan-wedding-9.7204949

 

[Halifax Tar]

Text from an interview...

“The bad behaviour continues all the way up the ranks”: Hank Idsinga calls out the Toronto Police Service’s rampant corruption​

Are you worried that your criticisms will lead to repercussions from old colleagues or the force itself? Not at all. If people choose to take that position, they can come talk to me about it. I’d respect their position. The book is out in the world now, and there isn’t a lot in it that people should find surprising. We deal with all of these same issues in society as a whole, and as a result, we can’t have blind trust in our institutions. When we call the police, those same societal issues are at play with the person on the other end of the phone, the officer coming to our house and the supervisor overseeing them.

Last Wednesday, the TPS said that the claims you make in the book risk undermining public trust in the police. What’s your reaction to that? Public trust has become a crutch for not addressing internal issues. That same day, the police emailed me a letter inviting me to participate in a complaint investigation. Clearly they didn’t listen to me when I said there’s no point in complaining. I’m not asking for an inquiry. I don’t expect discipline, and I’m not naming people. I just wrote a book about my experiences. It’s an ongoing problem, and short of turning the structure and leadership of the police service on its head, it’s going to continue.

https://torontolife.com/culture/hank-idsinga-interview/

There were lots of LEO reactions like this to Palagno's books on the RCMP and the NS Mass Shooting.

Example:

https://a.co/d/06Ab30US

If you don't want us to lose trust in you don't give us reasons to lose trust in you.

 

[brihard]

There were lots of LEO reactions like this to Palagno's books on the RCMP and the NS Mass Shooting.

Example:

https://a.co/d/06Ab30US

If you don't want us to lose trust in you don't give us reasons to lose trust in you.

That’s because Palango was peddling absurd fantasy. There is a lot of reasonable and valid criticism of police, both as an institution and of individual personnel. That doesn’t mean every crackpot theory is reasonable and valid. Palango torpedoed his credibility with this hilariously off base ‘police agent’ allegations based on the dude cashing out his investments.

 

[Halifax Tar]

That’s because Palango was peddling absurd fantasy. There is a lot of reasonable and valid criticism of police, both as an institution and of individual personnel. That doesn’t mean every crackpot theory is reasonable and valid. Palango torpedoed his credibility with this hilariously off base ‘police agent’ allegations based on the dude cashing out his investments.

Seems his reputation is fine according to AI.

Credibility seems similar.

But both of those those can be chalked up to personal opinion.

My bias against LEOs and PDs is well documented on these means as well. So take that side dish for what it's worth to you.

 

[Booter]

Your own bias is evident in how you read those links you’ve provided as a proof.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Seems his reputation is fine according to AI.

Credibility seems similar.

But both of those those can be chalked up to personal opinion.

There's AI and there's AI This from one system with the same questions ...

If you’re asking whether he should be dismissed, no—he has enough professional background to be taken seriously. If you’re asking whether everything he says should be accepted at face value, also no—his claims are best verified against documentary evidence and corroborating sources, especially on controversial RCMP matters.

... and this from another (DuckDuckGo AI - doesn't have links because it doesn't store searches):

• For investigative, critical perspectives on policing in Canada: yes — he is a credible, experienced investigative journalist whose work is influential and worth reading as one viewpoint.
• For definitive, balanced conclusions about individual cases or legal matters: treat his claims like investigative journalism — corroborate with primary sources (court records, police reports), other reporting, and expert analysis before relying on them as established fact.

I guess he should be treated like any other reporter out there, working for bought-and-paid-for media

 

[Jarnhamar]

My bias against LEOs and PDs is well documented on these means as well.

Sounds suspicious.

 

[Halifax Tar]

Sounds suspicious.

You'll never catch me alive now see lol

 

[Halifax Tar]

Your own bias is evident in how you read those links you’ve provided as a proof.

My own bias has been self admitted multiple times.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Welcome to Thunder Bay. On the plus side, the staff sergeant will be doing federal time.

Thunder Bay cop sentenced to three years in prison

A Thunder Bay staff sergeant faces three years in prison for serious police misconduct. Understand the implications of this ruling.

ricochet.media

Subject to appeal - and yes, he's out on bail.

See also former Chief Hauth and her legal conveyor belt ride -- presumed innocent until proven guilty via due process, etc.

And in totally unrelated news ....
"Legal fees pushing police board over budget - Officer indemnification costs driving Thunder Bay police board's budget towards a deficit ..."

 

[daftandbarmy]

CF Greens to the fore....

https://twitter.com/x/status/2057172138721997208

 

[Halifax Tar]

CF Greens to the fore....

https://twitter.com/x/status/2057172138721997208

What an awful story. I hope they, the accused, get long long sentences with no protections in jail.

 

[dapaterson]

Don't have sex with your confidential informants.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/rcmp-intimate-relationship-informant-9.7211299

 

[daftandbarmy]

Don't tamper with evidence related to the investigation of the police chief into sexual assault allegations i.e., you...

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (May 26, 2026) The resignation of Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara on Tuesday marked the sudden and dramatic end of one of the most scrutinized law enforcement leadership tenures in modern Minnesota history, closing a chapter that began with a national search for stability inside a police department still reeling from the murder of George Floyd and the global reckoning that followed.​

O’Hara’s departure comes after a city-commissioned personnel investigation concluded that he likely interfered with an earlier internal inquiry by deleting a contact from his cellphone during the investigative process, conduct Mayor Jacob Frey described as “serious misconduct” incompatible with the responsibilities of the city’s top law enforcement official.

The findings triggered an abrupt reversal for a mayor who, only weeks earlier, had publicly stood beside O’Hara to announce his renomination for a second term as police chief.

Now, less than four years after arriving in Minneapolis as an outsider brought in to help repair one of America’s most publicly damaged police departments, O’Hara exits under the weight of the same institutional questions that have haunted Minneapolis policing for years: accountability, transparency, public trust, internal culture, and whether meaningful reform can survive the pressures of politics, public safety crises, and human failure.

According to records first reported by The New York Times, investigators found no evidence substantiating allegations that O’Hara engaged in sexual relationships with city employees, rumors that had circulated internally for months. But the investigation shifted toward whether the chief improperly interfered with the inquiry itself.

BREAKING MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara Resigns Amid Personnel Investigation, Reopening Questions About Reform, Leadership, and Trust | MinneapoliMedia

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara resigned amid a personnel investigation, reigniting debate over reform, leadership, accountability, and public trust.

minneapolimedia.town.news

 

[daftandbarmy]

oops...

https://twitter.com/x/status/2059775780163399826

 

[brihard]

oops...

https://twitter.com/x/status/2059775780163399826

“Your other hand to God”