Toronto Police Officer keeps her job after pleading guilty to impaired driving.

[st7860]

http://www.vancouversun.com/Toronto+...308/story.html
TORONTO — A Toronto police constable and firearms instructor has managed to save her job after an impaired driving conviction where she was nearly three times over the legal limit and crashed into a median and two other vehicles before being boxed in and arrested.


Police prosecutors were seeking the dismissal of Const. Gail Shields, 41, who has been an officer with the Toronto force since 1989.


She previously was found guilty in provincial court of one count of impaired driving and received a $2,000 fine and one-year probation as a result of the February 2006 incident.


Toronto police Supt. Jane Wilcox ruled at a disciplinary hearing Friday that an appropriate punishment was a demotion of one rank to second-class constable for two years.


The "pristine employment history" of the officer was cited by Supt. Wilcox as one of the reasons for refusing to order the dismissal of Shields. Two other impaired driving cases where Toronto police officers were demoted, were also factors in determining an appropriate punishment, the superintendent explained.


The day of the incident, Shields was permitted to leave her shift early at the C.O. Bick College in Scarborough, Ont., a suburb of Toronto, where she was a training officer.


She met several colleagues that afternoon at a nearby restaurant. Shields testified that she does not remember anything after consuming her third beer. Staff at the restaurant tried to arrange for a taxi because Shields had difficulty walking.


Instead, she left in her car at about 6:15 p.m. and drove up onto a centre median, knocking down a road sign, briefly heading into oncoming traffic.


Shields then clipped one car and drove into the back of another vehicle. Three citizens tried to block her in and at one point, Shields tried to ram one of the cars to get away, before police arrived. Two breathalyzer tests produced readings of .230 and .220. There was moderate property damage to the other vehicles, although no one was seriously hurt.


Her lawyer Peter Brauti argued that the alcohol consumption was out of character for Shields and blamed restaurant staff for over-serving his client.


The demotion will reduce the annual salary of Shields by about $7,000 for the next two years, although the hearing was told she has been permitted to work extra paid duty and overtime shifts to compensate for the costs of her legal difficulties.

[MrBurns]

Surprised?

[spf1971]

Is it any different from someone else who "beat the system".

Personally I think if you can't abide by the law, you can't exactly enforce it either. She had her day in court and the court didn't see it that way.

[kingsley]

Personally I think if you can't abide by the law, you can't exactly enforce it either.

Stupid argument. That's like saying a NHL ref can't be a ref if he can't play hockey.

If you know the rules of the game you can ref. If you know the laws you can enforce. Whether you can follow the rules or laws has nothing to do with it.

[spf1971]

Stupid argument. That's like saying a NHL ref can't be a ref if he can't play hockey.

If you know the rules of the game you can ref. If you know the laws you can enforce. Whether you can follow the rules or laws has nothing to do with it.

That's not even close to being similar. Police aren't simply supposed to know the laws, they are supposed to enforce them. If you are breaking them, how can you then enforce them?

[iplom]

Stupid argument. That's like saying a NHL ref can't be a ref if he can't play hockey.

If you know the rules of the game you can ref. If you know the laws you can enforce. Whether you can follow the rules or laws has nothing to do with it.

Wow, you're first two words sum up your post very well.

[deltone]

Typical of what goes on in society today when her lawyer said the drinking was out of character for his client and that it was the bars fault for over serving her. Give me a break!! Why is it always someone else's fault when someone over drinks?

[Hunter316]

I think if it were just a drunk driving charge (which is serious in itself) were the only issue then the officer should keep her job but from what I read she also tried to evade arrest by attempting to leave the scene of the accident. Those actions compounded ontop of a drunk driving charge would be very damaging to a civilian.

[GangStarr]

yet another story of cops driving drunk while off duty... not the least bit surprising.

[Capt.]

I'm more surprised that they actually charged a cop with this. She was obviously a total idiot and trashed out of her mind. Cops get away with drinking & driving regularly. They're not going to charge each other.

[Magoo]

Very simple... the police protect their own.

Not only do they get off scott free on drunk driving... in the past you've heard of cops getting off on assault charges, even with video evidence.

it's a fact, just accept it.

[Reign]

She should loose her job. Police officers are the ones that are suppose to keep me from messing up.

[george benjamin]

Where is Shaner who loves to defend the criminal acts of these dicks ?

[ndrew029]

Stupid argument. That's like saying a NHL ref can't be a ref if he can't play hockey.

If you know the rules of the game you can ref. If you know the laws you can enforce. Whether you can follow the rules or laws has nothing to do with it.

An NHL referee shouldn't be able to referee the game if he went around punching players and cracking them on the head with sticks during the game.

[65505201]

Where is Shaner who loves to defend the criminal acts of these dicks ?

In another thread, Shaner has already stated he's fine w/ cops convicted of DUIs.