Ottawa police have suspended two of their own, and placed nine other officers on desk duties over allegations they issued fake traffic warning tickets.
Police say their Professional Standards Section (PSS) started an investigation into the allegations last November.
It started with an officer being accused of entering warnings into the records management system with no evidence, and without the driver knowing.
Warnings don't come with a fine, but they can be used to increase internal statistics.
Police also undertook an audit looking at warning tickets issued by officers, to determine if proper protocols were followed.
“While the audit enabled us to determine that there were no issues related to warning tickets issued in the majority of cases; it also found evidence to warrant further investigation by PSS into the warnings issued by nine other officers,” Ottawa Police Chief Charles Bordeleau said in a police release.
Those nine officers are on now on desk duties. Two others had already been suspended as part of the probe.
Police say new quality control measures have been put in place, and more measures are being considered to make sure the rules are being followed when officers issue warning tickets.
“While warning tickets do not carry a monetary fine, issuing warnings in the absence of an offence is a serious issue and it is being addressed,” Bordeleau said.
The investigation is continuing.
