Toronto police officers have amassed over 1,000 speeding tickets over a 26-month period, based on new data.
Freedom of Information requests obtained by CTV News reveal that hundreds of TPS vehicles, from special constable cars to parking enforcement, have been caught hurtling past automated speed and red light cameras over the last two years.
Figures also show that there’s been an uptick in the number of tickets issued to police from 435 in 2021 to 495 in 2022. Among the police vehicles acquiring several tickets were parking enforcement cars, specifically.
For instance, one officer is facing a hefty fine of $227.50 for going 65 km/h in a 40 zone at Renforth Dr. and Lafferty St, according to CTV. The same car was issued a second fine of $95 for going 45 km/h in a 30 km/h zone at Bicknell Avenue and Avon Drive.
The data shows that many of the incidents include police vehicles speeding in a school zone such as one special constable car who was ticketed $120 for going 59 km/h during pick-up time.
According to the findings, some of the speeding cases could be justified depending on the situation. For instance, one of the tickets includes a police cruiser following an ambulance past a red light.
In addition, CTV News also acquired data from the City of Toronto which revealed that Beverley and D’Arcy streets was the most common area for tickets issued to police with 55 tickets.
In second place was Sheppard Avenue East at Don Mills with 44 tickets and in third, Jane Street at Lambton Avenue with 30 tickets.
Meanwhile, Warden Avenue and Ellesmere Road was the most popular area for red light tickets issued to police.
Now Toronto reached out to TPS regarding its process when a police officer receives a ticket. The force says speeding fines are sent to its Professional Standards team (PRS) and then from there it’s determined if an officer will be penalized or not.
“PRS determines which unit the vehicle is from and notifies that unit’s Complaints Coordinator, who will then conduct an investigation to determine if an exemption is justified. If the Coordinator determines there was no justification, prescribed hours would be docked from the officer’s pay as a penalty,” TPS spokesperson Stephanie Sayer said in a statement on Tuesday.
