An Ottawa police officer who leaked police information to a sexual assault complainant he once prosecuted for a threesome will be demoted for 15 months.
Const. Troy Forgie pleaded guilty in April to insubordination, breach of trust and discreditable conduct under the Police Services Act.
In August 2020, a woman messaged Forgie on Facebook asking for help to get away from her abuser, according to an agreed statement of facts.
At the woman’s request, Forgie conducted multiple searches months after the woman’s initial request for help, police prosecutor Vanessa Stewart said in April.
Forge said after his guilty plea that he “gave her the least amount of information” he could to “give her peace of mind when she was scared” and sympathized with a sexual assault victim who was moving in a maze to get simple answers.
He told the hearing he had never met the woman in person but had previously communicated with her on a social media app. According to sources, Forgie had previously sexually pursued the woman and chatted with her on the app in order to arrange a threesome.
Prosecutors filed a series of text messages between Forgie and the woman that were previously alleged to have included sexual photos and videos Forgie viewed while on duty.
Force’s reputation has been damaged, the ruling said
Retired Ottawa Police Chief Chris Renwick wrote in his July 26 decision that the crimes were serious and damaged the reputation of the police force.
“Unauthorized access … and sharing of information by a member of the public, no matter what the motivation or level of information shared, will give the public reason to lose trust and confidence in their police service,” he wrote.
“The punishment for such violations of oaths, policies and general orders must reflect the seriousness of the loss of public trust.”
He said Forgie would be demoted from constable first class to constable second class in 15 months.
In 2014, Forgie was demoted for eight months after falsifying a report to turn a suspect into a confidential informant.
Renwick wrote that that was a factor in his decision, along with what he said was typically 15 years of “stellar” service.
Const. of the Ottawa police. Troy Forgie was singled out by the office for his efforts to police the city by bicycle. (Ottawa Police Service)
The Ottawa Police Service (OPS) had been trying to fire the officer, but abandoned that plan to ask for a two-year demotion, while Forgie’s defense lawyer Connie D’Angelo challenged 20 days of back pay.
Both would have been significant financial penalties, Renwick said, calling the demotion a much more severe penalty than losing pay.
Add Comment