Nearly a week after it was confirmed that three Toronto police officers are being investigated in connection with an alleged sexual assault, the Toronto Police Service has issued a written statement addressing the case.
The statement, provided to CP24 by police spokesperson Meaghan Gray late Wednesday afternoon, comes nearly a week after the head of the police union Mike McCormack confirmed that three officers from 51 Division had been suspended after a complaint was filed.
At the time, McCormack said the complainant is a female officer who works in the parking enforcement unit and that the alleged incident occurred while the officers were off duty.
Wednesday’s statement says authorities are taking the matter “extremely seriously” but that no criminal charges have yet been laid against the officers.
“Any allegation of sexual assault against a member of the service is treated extremely seriously,” the statement says.
“Whatever resources are necessary are dedicated to such investigations, including subject matter experts from the professional standards and sex crimes unit. If criminal charges are laid, we will issue a news release. If Police Services Act charges go before our publicly-accessible tribunal, these details are made available.”
The maximum penalty available at the tribunal is dismissal, the statement adds.
“Maintaining the integrity of any investigation is critical and, as such, it would be inappropriate to publicly comment,” it concludes.
Last week, the union said it would not be commenting further on the case for now.
"In this case, all involved are members of the Toronto Police Association," the Toronto Police Association said in a news release. "We will not be making any further comment until the complaint has been fully investigated."
