[LINK] "Cop corruption case revived"

[rfmcdonald]

A while ago, I blogged about the Toronto police corruption scandal that, somehow, failed to make it to court. Now, it seems like the case might be reopened.

Seven years before Toronto drug squad officers were charged with shaking down suspects, a senior member of the Montreal Police force sent a "red flag" complaint about the behaviour of two squad members.

A Toronto Star-CBC investigation has revealed that in late 1997, two members of the now infamous Central Field Command Drug Squad travelled to Montreal to work a case but made police there suspicious with an alleged single-minded focus on gaining access to a suspect's safety deposit box.

Today the dramatic and costly case against the Toronto drug squad officers see-saws yet again when prosecutors try to revive charges thrown out by a judge in 2008. The charges were tossed because the Crown took too long to bring the case to trial.

The detectives, most of them now retired, had not been charged with anything related to events in Montreal. John Schertzer, the leader of the squad and one of the two detectives looking to gain access to the safety deposit box in Montreal, told his supervisor two weeks later he did nothing wrong.

Travelling with Schertzer to Montreal in 1997 was Det. Const. Steve Correia. The trip and ensuing complaint came near the beginning of what prosecutors later charged was a crime spree in which Schertzer's crew allegedly robbed suspected drug dealers, conducted illegal searches and covered it up by falsifying their notebooks.

Schertzer, who retired as a staff sergeant, and Correia have insisted they are innocent. Both were unavailable for comment.

[. . .]

The story begins in 1997 with arrests made in Toronto by Schertzer's squad. The suspects were originally from Montreal. The squad ended up with a key to a suspect's safety deposit box in Montreal and other information pointing to possible suspects in that city.

Responding to a request for help, Montreal Police raided a home on Jarry St., seized 44 grams of cocaine and made two arrests. Schertzer and Correia went to Montreal with the safety deposit box key.

The document says Montreal detectives expected money seized from a safety deposit box would be sent to Toronto via the Montreal Courthouse. Schertzer and Correia insisted they take the money back themselves.

"It is necessary to mention also that the two detainees and all the other evidence pertinent to their Toronto arrest three days previous were of absolutely no interest to the Toronto officers," the Montreal Police report says.

"They did not even want to question these two individuals, or even look at the seized evidence directly related to their case. Their only interest was whatever contents were in the safe deposit boxes."

Here's to hoping that the individuals alleged will see their day in court.