Suspended police officers cost Ontario taxpayers $134M over past decade

Police suspensions across Ontario have cost taxpayers approximately $134 million over the past 11 years, according to an exclusive database compiled by CBC News that surveyed reports about hundreds of officers who were sent home with pay after being accused of misconduct or breaking the law.

The investigation collected publicly available information about officers across 44 police departments including the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), Toronto Police Service, Peel Regional Police and Ottawa Police Service. 

The research reveals 453 suspensions for a wide variety of allegations including drunk driving, fraud, drug trafficking, manslaughter, sexual assault and intimate partner violence. 

These cases represent less than two per cent of the approximately 25,140 officers currently on duty in 61 communities.