Thunder Bay Police Service officer Jim Mauro has been demoted from sergeant to first-class constable.
The demotion will last for a year, and once that 12-month period is over Mauro will be reinstated as a sergeant with the force.
However, during that year, he cannot take on any acting-sergeant role.
Mauro was found guilty of discreditable conduct under the Police Services Act on March 16.
Mauro was found guilty of having forwarded a letter to the Police Services Board that he claimed was written by Keith Hobbs, who at the time was the president of the Thunder Bay Police Association.
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The letter was an appeal by Hobbs, a former police association president, to allow Mauro to apply for promotions while serving a previous suspension.
However, adjudicator Morris Elbers said the evidence showed Hobbs was not the author of the letter, but was written by Mauro to further his own cause.
Elbers gave his decision in the case Thursday at the Valhalla Inn.
Neither Mauro nor a representative on his behalf showed up to hear the decision.
Thunder Bay Police Service’s deputy chief Andy Hay said he respects the decision in the case and believes the adjudicator took all the circumstances into consideration.
Hay also said the demotion is a substantial penalty. As a constable, Mauro’s duties include routine policing duties but not in a supervisory capacity.
The costs for the hearing over the two years since Mauro was suspended are about $75,000, Hay said. That includes the hearing officer, the prosecutor and incidental costs related to holding the hearings.
It doesn’t include the wages Mauro received while suspended. He has been suspended with pay since March 26, 2010.
While it is expensive, Hay said it is a necessary cost.
“The integrity of our officers and the police service is very important; it’s paramount,” he said. “Going through this process is expensive, but it’s a process we cannot afford to not take. We have to hold our officers accountable.”
The case has also damaged the reputation of the Thunder Bay Police Service and Hay said it will take time to repair.
“It’s unfortunate that one incident can impact the integrity or the public perception of our police service,” he said, adding it’s important to remember there are still more than 200 officers on the force acting with the highest level of honestly and professionalism.
Hay said there is the potential for a disciplinary action against Mauro for not appearing at the hearing, but it is too soon to tell whether that will happen.
