The Toronto police professional standards unit is investigating multiple videos posted online that appear to show two uniformed officers taking a group of women between nightclubs, playing videos on the in-cruiser computer and posing for photos.
The videos, which were posted on the Instagram account @citizen.to Monday afternoon, were reportedly captured late Sunday and/or early Monday.
The poster of the videos told Global News the women, whose identities aren’t known, were at a birthday party at a McCaul Street and Queen Street West-area restaurant before they were driven to a nightclub near Spadina Avenue and King Street West.
The women can be seen walking into a marked Toronto police cruiser in one video with the caption, “Typically they have to take me by force.”
“Uber is here,” one of the women can be heard saying before they get into the back seat of the cruiser.
“There’s no leg room,” another woman said.
The next videos posted appear to be in the back of the cruiser. Music videos can be seen and heard playing on the computer in the police cruiser.
“The best is that we’re listening to k-os and he was at Marbl the other night,” one of the women can be heard saying in a video with the caption “Uber’s here.”
WATCH: Two officers investigated for misconduct after Instagram videos surface
A separate video with the caption, “Thank you @torontopolice for the safe ride to the bar tonight,” appears to zoom in on a list of YouTube videos.
In one of the videos, an officer can be seen holding the arms of a woman while she is handcuffed. The woman can be seen as another laughing woman and the other officer can be seen looking on.
A similar video, with the caption, “Officer, I didn’t know being basic was a crime,” a woman in handcuffs can be seen waving at the camera while another woman, who is putting on lipstick, appears to be wearing a loose-fitting pair of handcuffs. The camera then zooms in on one of the officers’ uniforms.
When contacted about the videos Monday afternoon, Toronto police said the Instagram post was flagged for further review.
“That matter was forwarded to our professional standards section immediately. They have started an investigation,” Meaghan Gray, acting director of corporate communications, told Global News Wednesday afternoon.
“If they determine that misconduct has taken place, those officers will be disciplined.”
Gray didn’t identify the officers seen in the videos, but said it’s believed at this point that they work in 52 Division (which covers part of downtown Toronto).
Police noted the investigation is still in the early stages and no one is facing any charges. It’s not clear what, if any, disciplinary action the officers might face.
“When it comes to internal discipline of any kind, that could range from reprimand to dismissal from the police service. It’s really too early to tell what that discipline might look like,” she said, adding this type of incident doesn’t happen often.
“But when it does it’s certainly concerning to us as those officers are representatives of the Toronto Police Service and we expect our members to act professionally and with respect at all times.”
Toronto Police Association (TPA) President Mike McCormack said in a statement the union is aware of the allegations and the professional standards investigation.
“As this is an on-going investigation the TPA will make no further comment,” he wrote.
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