Ninth officer demoted over fake warnings

A ninth Ottawa police officer has been demoted for admitting fabricating traffic warnings issued to drivers in the police database.

Const. Kevin Benloss, an officer since 2006, was sentenced to an eight-month demotion from first- to second-class constable last week.

In December, Benloss pleaded guilty to two counts of discreditable conduct and one count of insubordination under the Police Services Act.

Benloss faked four traffic warnings without any evidence to support any offence, failed to serve or notify drivers of five warnings he entered into the police system and didn’t properly

The penalty must ... send a message to other officers in order to deter them from this type of conduct.

take notes for 130 provincial offence notices he issued.

Benloss was one of nine officers placed on desk duty as police investigated allegations of the widespread issuing of “ghost warnings” by officers on the force.

Two other officers were suspended in the probe, which began in 2015.

Only charges against two of the 11 remain before the disciplinary tribunal. The others have pleaded guilty and have all been demoted.

Benloss has “no prior discipline issues with (professional standards section),” according to the sentencing decision of hearing officer Supt. Don Sweet.

The police service has, now, after brokering guilty pleas in nine of the 11 sets of charges laid, created case law that they continue to present in each subsequent ghost warning hearing.

Sweet, who considered the sentences previously jointly submitted by the defence and police force and subsequently handed down to the other officers in this same investigation, wrote, “The penalty must be serious enough to also send a message to other officers in order to deter them from this type of conduct. The service wants to send a clear message that the misrepresentation of information when issuing PON warnings will not be tolerated.” syogaretnam@postmedia.com