Toronto’s first black female police superintendent was hit with a demotion after she admitted to helping several Black officers cheat for potential promotions.
On Wednesday (Aug. 28), a tribunal determined Stacy Clarke played a “lead role” in “extremely serious” misconduct in connection to the 2021 scandal, per the Toronto Star.
“Honesty and integrity are non-negotiable character traits of a police officer. Superintendent Clarke’s actions demonstrated both were absent,” tribunal adjudicator Robin McElary-Downer said in a statement.
Clarke admitted last year that she took photos of confidential interview questions and shared them with six Black candidates vying for sergeant positions. During a sentencing hearing in May, Clark said her actions were “a desperate effort 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 inequity compounded this feeling,” Clarke said in a statement.
Clarke was handed down a two-year demotion from her role as inspector after which she can reapply for her old position. Her defense team argued that Clarke’s demotion should only last a year to 18 months and she should get the job back automatically.
“Just very disappointed and very sad about it,” Clarke said.
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