Cop with cocaine faces demotion

Veteran officer deserves chance ‘to do better,’ prosecutor says

A Toronto police prosecutor has asked for a veteran cop from the guns and gangs unit to be demoted after the officer was caught bringing a small amount of cocaine into a Scarborough courthouse.

Const. Kirk Blake has undoubtedly damaged the reputation of the Toronto Police Service with his “serious misconduct,” but the 17-year veteran has an otherwise unblemished career, Insp. Domenic Sinopoli told the tribunal.

“There are very good prospects for rehabilitation,” Sinopoli said.

“This officer deserves an opportunity to do better.”

Sinopoli asked for Blake to be demoted from first- to second-class constable for one year and be subject to a number of conditions, including random drug testing.

The demotion would send the message that Toronto police take Blake’s conduct seriously, while giving him the chance to return to “who he was before this event took place,” Sinopoli said.

Blake pleaded guilty to professional misconduct after he was found to have brought a minimal amount of cocaine into a Scarborough courthouse in September 2016.

The discovery of the drug came about after Blake left his wallet behind in the courthouse, where he had been doing some computer work in his capacity as a police officer.

A Toronto police sergeant found the wallet and, when looking through to find identification, found a small clear plastic baggie containing a white powdery substance later determined to be cocaine.

Toronto police’s Professional Standards launched an investigation and later charged Blake with possession of cocaine.

According an agreed statement of facts read out at the hearing Monday, Blake was initially suspended by Toronto police but has since been reinstated in an administrative role.

In June, the officer pleaded guilty in court to the criminal charge and was granted an absolute discharge.

At that court appearance, Blake’s lawyer Gary Clewley told Ontario Court Justice Melvyn Green that Blake had developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) stemming from a traumatic guns and gangs operation.

Zoltan Hyacinth, 23, accidentally killed himself during a confrontation with Toronto police in 2013. Police had been attempting to arrest Hyacinth at a Burger King drive-thru when he reached for his gun and fired three bullets, shooting himself in the head.

It was a near fatal incident for Blake, too, Clewley told the court. When a mandatory coroner’s inquest was held two years later, Blake was made to “relive the event and, shortly after, PTSD took over,” the lawyer said.

Green called Blake’s behaviour an “abuse of a professional trust.”

The event was “frankly . . . shameful and one for which you feel considerable self admonishment — and rightly so,” Green said at the June court appearance. But the judge noted the very minimal amount of cocaine and acknowledged a17-year career with no previous problems, as well as the “trauma that you’ve suffered through your work.”

“The sense I have is that it was out of character,” Green said, granting the absolute discharge.

At the tribunal Monday, Clewley stressed Blake’s “spectacular career” and agreed that a one-year demotion was the appropriate sentence.

“He’s been a terrific cop and he will be again,” Clewley said.

The police hearing officer, Insp. Richard Hegedus, reserved his decision on the Blake’s sentence to later this year. Wendy Gillis can be reached at wgillis@thestar.ca.

The judge noted the very minimal amount of cocaine and acknowledged a 17-year career with no previous problems