Two Toronto police officers who were caught on camera making fun of a woman with Down syndrome intend to plead guilty to Police Service Act charges, a disciplinary tribunal was told Wednesday.Const. Sasa Sljivo and Const. Matthew Saris were charged after Pamela Munoz received a dashboard camera recording that was made when the officers pulled over her car in November 2016.The video caught one officer laughing as he made fun of Munoz’s 29-year-old daughter, Francie, referring to her as a half woman and “a little disfigured.”Related story: Mother of girl with Down syndrome ‘enraged’ after finding police dashcam footage of officers insulting her daughterToronto police documents detailing the charges allege that Sljivo was the officer doing the talking. He faces two charges under the Police Act: one for allegedly using “profane, abusive or insulting language” in contravention of the Ontario Human Rights Code and Toronto police policy, procedures and standards of conduct, and the second for allegedly acting in a disorderly manner likely to discredit Toronto police.Saris faces one count for allegedly being “complicit” in Sljivo’s comments and failing to report his conduct to a superior. Neither officer was present at Wednesday’s hearing, which was adjourned until Nov. 28.Munoz said she wasn’t surprised by the announcement that the officers intend to plead guilty. “Its on tape, everyone can hear it, and it’s obvious everyone has done what they’ve done,” she said in an interview after the hearing. “We’re just surprised and disappointed [the guilty plea] didn’t happen earlier,” she said. “Why not from day one?”Munoz didn’t bring Francie to the hearing on Wednesday, saying that she was tired. “She doesn’t understand why the police didn’t apologise to her, why it’s taking so long, why she has to keep going back, ...
|