After drunken crash: Toronto police have to close bar at headquarters

Crazy posse
After a drunken crash in the company car: Toronto police have to close the registered bar in the headquarters

For decades, the Toronto Police Department ran an officially registered bar right in the middle of their own headquarters. The chairman of the disciplinary department, of all people, demonstrated why this could be a problem.

They are an important part of every US police series: cop bars in which the officers take a nightcap together after their work is done – and then surprisingly often crack a case in conversation. In Toronto police officers apparently didn’t even have to go to the other side of the street for this: the headquarters of law enforcement officers ran an officially approved bar for decades. Now it has been closed.

This is reported by the news channel “CBC”. Officially known as the “Executive Officers Lounge”, the police bar was issued with a municipal license to serve hard alcohol in 1989. Officials have now been informed that the license will no longer be renewed. The bar has to close.

After visiting the police bar, there was a bang

Although the official statement makes no reference to it, the conclusion is that the closure is related to an incident last fall. A few hours after entering the bar after work, a drunk officer crashed his police car into another car. It was, of all people, the chairman of the Disciplinary Committee. After more than 1.6 per mille was measured, he had little choice but to admit the crime. As a result, he had to give up his driver’s license for a year and pay a fine.

It is not entirely clear how long he stayed in the lounge and whether and how much he drank there. It was certainly anything but helpful for the reputation of the Presidium. Actually, the lounge should not be operated like a regular bar, a spokesman emphasized to “CBC”. Accordingly, the location was mainly used for official occasions, such as retirement celebrations or to receive dignitaries.

“It’s crazy”

Nevertheless, the reporters found, even among the police, mainly voices that welcomed the closure of the bar. The local police association explicitly supports the decision. “We were always of the opinion that superiors should also set an example in their actions,” explains the association’s spokesman. A former head of the police chief also expressed his support for the move.

“It’s crazy that they ever had one,” said a spokesman for a civil rights group fighting for more accountability in policing. In his view, official police celebrations should generally do without alcohol. “It’s just inappropriate, there are enough bars here if you want to drink.”

Apparently, the coming celebrations won’t have to do without alcohol either. The spokesman announced that special permits to serve alcohol would be requested for the lounge on special occasions.

Source:CBC