Toronto’s first black female police superintendent was dinged with a demotion after she admitted to helping several black officers cheat in an attempt to get them promoted.
Trailblazing cop Stacy Clarke was disciplined after it was determined she played a “lead role” in the 2021 corruption scandal, which was ruled Wednesday by a tribunal as “extremely serious” misconduct, the Toronto Star reported.
“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 reportedly said.
Clarke found herself in hot water when she confessed last year to taking photos of confidential interview questions and messaging them to six black candidates vying for sergeant jobs, the newspaper reported.
She claimed during a sentencing hearing in May she did it in “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 insisted in an internal report.
The high-ranking official was demoted to the role of inspector for two years before she can reapply for her old gig, CBC reported. Her defense team argued the 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 told outlets following the decision as supporters of hers called the punishment harsh.
McElary-Downer, the adjudicator, reportedly said the superintendent’s conduct “undoubtedly shook the confidence and trust the public had in her, and on a broader scale, the Toronto Police Service.”
She noted outside of this scandal, Clarke has led an “admirable career” and is a “rock star.”
Toronto police said it respected the outcome, noting leaders at the department are held to the “highest standard” while also saying the agency needs to do a better job of diversifying all ranks.
“We acknowledge this case brought forward a number of issues that the Service is addressing,” Chief Myron Demkiw said, per CBC.
