Four female Toronto police officers are planning to sue the Toronto Police Service over allegations of sexual harassment, according to their lawyer.
“We are suing for continuous and malicious sexual harassment,” Howard Levitt of Levitt LLP told Global News.
“Over a protracted period of time, these long-standing female constables have been subject to incessant, degrading sexual harassment and worse, by male members of the Toronto police force.”
Levitt alleges the officers repeatedly experienced sexual harassment while on the job and were ignored when they tried to report improper conduct by fellow officers.
Levitt said the female officers also received “hundreds and hundreds” of “improper” pictures, texts and emails.
“When women are victimized in Toronto by sexual predators, it’s obvious that the first thing they should think about is going to Toronto police. But the fact is, if the Toronto police contain predators and it will protect sexual predators, then that’s not a very welcoming environment for women in Toronto,” Levitt said.
The lawsuit has not yet been filed and none of the allegations have been proven in court.
Levitt said he expects it to be filed in early January.
Toronto police would not comment on the allegations.
“We cannot speculate on a lawsuit that has yet to be filed,” spokesperson Meaghan Gray said in a statement.
“The Toronto Police Service takes issues of harassment and discrimination within the organization very seriously.”