MORE CHARGES to suspended Toronto Police officer in tow truck scandal. CBC photo.
DOZENS OF people arrested, including a police officer, in tow truck cloned radio scandal.
Seems like someone may be spying on the police.
Toronto Police have laid further charges against one of their own, and arrested 11 others, as a deepening investigation into anti-corruption in the tow truck industry widens.
The Service’s Professionals Standards Unit laid charges last week against 12 individuals, including suspended 22 Division Const. Ronald Joseph and employees from a number of tow truck companies.
At concern is an investigation conducted in August 2019 that identified the alleged theft of police radios and that several tow truck employees were in possession of them, police said in a release.
The 11-year officer was initially charged in June 2020 and suspended from duty under the Police Services Act.
“It is alleged that the suspects carried out fraudulent insurance claims for false or staged collisions,” police alleged. “The fake collisions would then be reported to fraudulently claim on insurance for money.”
Detectives allege several false claims were made from April 2018 to May 2020.
Police have said the radio was stolen and cloned, and the copy was returned to the force. The stolen radio was then allegedly used to intercept encrypted police transmissions to learn about collisions more quickly and that information was shared with tow truck drivers for a monthly fee, according to police.
The officer is accused of receiving money for collision tips, helping operate a subscription-based police radio streaming service, and owning a car rental agency and two tow trucks operated by consortium members.
He was charged for a second time on February 19 with further charges including; two counts of attempted fraud over $5,000; counselling an indictable offence not committed, four counts of fraud over $5,000, forgery, and four other offences.
The alleged thefts came to light after a key player was charged after his tow truck was pulled over for an unrelated traffic offence last May.
That radio’s ID number matched an in-service 22 Division radio, which investigators determined was actually an illicit ‘clone’ of the genuine radio, in which police calls could be heard.
Subsequent search warrants in Toronto, Barrie and Brampton uncovered another stolen police radio, two-way radio programming equipment and parts.
A third stolen radio was found last June and three drivers arrested.
Search warrants have netted police cash and six tow trucks belonging to three different companies.