Toronto police officer accused of leaking info to alleged ‘key figure’ in criminal network denied bail

A Toronto police officer who is accused of leaking information about an Ontario corrections officer to a “key figure” of Toronto’s criminal network for the purpose of murdering him has been denied bail.

Const. Timothy Barnhardt was remanded into custody following his bail hearing on Friday.

Barnhardt, 56, is facing a total of 17 charges in connection with the investigation, dubbed Project South.

• Toronto cops accused of leaking info to ‘key’ organized crime figure in corruption probe
• Toronto cop arrested in corruption investigation linked to attempted murder of Ontario corrections officer
• The details inside ‘Project South’: How Toronto cops are accused of leaking information to criminals
• Toronto mayor calls for ‘systemic changes’ amid allegations of police corruption
• Independent investigation called for after Toronto officers charged in organized-crime probe

York Regional Police announced on Thursday the results of the seven-month-long investigation that linked 27 suspects—including five constables, two sergeants and one retired officer—to corruption and organized crime.

The investigation began in June after the incident at a corrections officer’s home in York Region.

Police called Barnhardt the “genesis of the investigation,” as his alleged actions led investigators to uncover a “complex” network of corruption involving officers who allegedly performed unlawful searches of personal information for members of the criminal network, which led to incidents of extortion, robberies, and shootings.

3 Peel police officers suspended

On Friday, Peel Regional Police said three of its members had been suspended following bombshell allegations.

In a statement to CTV News, a spokesperson for Peel police said none of its officers have been charged criminally, unlike the several Toronto cops who were previously identified as suspects.

“To protect the integrity of their investigation, we will not be providing additional comment,” Const. Tyler Bell-Morena said in an email.

Toronto’s police chief addresses his responsibility in corrupt cop bust

Meanwhile, Toronto’s police chief is defending his handling of the allegations as he seeks to “restore trust and confidence” in the force.

“My responsibility is the operations of the Toronto Police Service, including the good order and discipline of this organization,” Demkiw told Newstalk 1010’s John Moore on Friday when asked about what level of responsibility he holds for the officers’ alleged conduct.

“When I was made aware of this, we did commit, as I said, every resource necessary to York Regional Police. I think it’s important to recognize we also supported the conflict of interest provision of the Community Safety and Policing Act, which requires, in circumstances like this, another agency to investigate us. And I took a very firm position that we will maintain the integrity of the investigation and adhere to the conflict of interest provisions of the Act. And that’s what we did.”

Demkiw said he’s gone from “disappointed to angry and any number of other feelings you might imagine” in learning about the allegations from the onset, but said Thursday that neither the mayor nor the Police Services Board has called for his resignation, despite some calls from the public to do so.

As the investigation continues, Demkiw said he has referred the matter to the province’s policing inspector general to conduct an independent investigation of the alleged conduct, which he said the force will fully co-operate with.

Toronto Association President ‘disturbed’ by the allegations

In a statement published Thursday by the Toronto Police Association (TPA), the union condemned the officers’ alleged actions and suggested that union-provided legal support for them is conditional.

“To be very clear, legal support for members charged in criminal cases is not guaranteed by the TPA and is determined on a case-by-case basis,” the association, which represents more than 8,000 members, said in a tweet.

TPA President Clayton Campbell appeared alongside Demkiw during Friday’s interview and said he and his members were “disturbed” by the allegations.

“I’ve said it before: There’s nothing our members hate more than a corrupt cop,” he said.

Campbell explained that the union’s standalone committee will make a decision on providing legal defence to the defendants and determine whether they were in the “lawful good faith performance” of their duties when the alleged incidents occurred.

“We will always defend our members. We protect those that protect others, but (only) when they’re doing so in good faith, in an honest way, and these situations don’t fall in that category, in my opinion,” he said.