Insp. Joyce Schertzer made her first appearance in police disciplinary court Tuesday morning. He did not address the charges. According to hearing documents, the charges stem from an incident on May 1. Schertzer was working at 11 Division when she reportedly received a call from her daughter, who said Schertzer’s nephew had been in a “bad accident.” Hearing documents allege that Schertzer then arranged for an officer from her department to be dispatched to 14 Division, where the crash occurred. “By calling a unit from your department, you bypassed the priority system for the benefit of your family,” the charges state. “When he was on stage, you were the first to speak to your nephew. You gathered information about the conflict and actively participated in the investigation. You then had a private conversation with the investigator and your nephew was told he could leave the scene. “ Hearing documents also say a vehicle involved in the crash had damaged city property, so a traffic officer had to attend to investigate — but that officer didn’t have a chance to determine whether or not alcohol might have been involved a factor in conflict. “The investigation was discontinued as a result of your nephew’s removal from the scene,” the charges state. “You failed to ensure that a thorough investigation was conducted into the collision.” Schertzer is one of several high-ranking Toronto police officers under investigation for alleged misconduct. (Robert Krbavac/CBC) The charges also allege that by getting involved in the investigation, Schertzer violated the force’s conflict of interest policy. Hearing documents then allege that Schertzer did not record the statement her nephew gave and did not collect evidence in accordance with police procedure. CBC News reached out to Schertzer’s lawyer for comment, but did not immediately hear back. Schertzer is the latest high-ranking Toronto police officer to be investigated for misconduct this year. Supt. Scott Baptist was suspended with pay in August after an allegation that he made inappropriate comments to a woman at an event in Quebec. Supt. Riyaz Hussein, who headed the agency’s office of disciplinary hearings, was charged with impaired driving after a crash in Pickering, Ont., in January. He is currently on administrative duty pending the outcome of his criminal and disciplinary hearings. Supt. Stacy Clarke, meanwhile, is facing charges against police agencies over allegations she interfered with the Toronto police promotion process by providing “confidential” information to a handful of officers ahead of their interviews.
