Durham officer demoted over offensive tweets

A Durham regional police officer will be demoted for nine months after he admitted to sending Ontario’s ombudsman a series of offensive tweets. A police disciplinary tribunal ordered the penalty, which will see Jeff Caplan demoted from detective to first-class constable, today after he pleaded guilty to discreditable conduct. Caplan’s lawyer, Joseph Markson, says the officer will also have to complete training on workplace harassment and the demotion means Caplan will lose about $35,000 in pay. The tweets called Andre Marin “a card carrying member of Al Qaida” and told him not to stick his nose “in business it doesn’t belong.” The missives were sent Aug. 8 before Marin was to give a news conference on the death of a young man in a police shooting on a Toronto streetcar.