Link: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2008/09/03/opp-streetracing.html

Share: Facebook | Del.icio.us | Reddit | Reddit | Mister-Wong| Mixx

Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Julian Fantino says it won't happen again

The law is equal to all and so is accountability and I think it shows that we mean business,' says OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino. (Nathan Denette/Canadian Press)Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Julian Fantino has said repeatedly that drivers who go 50 km/h over the speed limit will have their car seized on the spot and their licence suspended for seven days — with no exceptions.

But there were two exceptions, and both were OPP officers.

Const. Michael Deyell and Const. Lloyd Tapp are the only two police officers charged under Ontario's street-racing laws. Both were on-duty, in marked cars, and charged by their colleagues.

It's alleged Deyell was driving at 60 km/h over the speed limit in December 2007. His cruiser slammed into two horses, killing them. Deyell himself was injured and sent to hospital.

Tapp is accused of driving his cruiser 50 km/h over the limit in March — and was clocked by an OPP colleague.

Under the new legislation, both officers should have had their licences and cars seized but that didn't happen.

Fantino said that was a mistake.

"The law is equal to all and so is accountability and I think it shows that we mean business," he said.

"We're not playing favourites here. I mean, people know what the rules of the road are and I think that we have to be transparent. We have to be consistent and we have to be fair."

Since new street-racing legislation came into effect last year, police have trumpeted the fact they've charged nearly 8,000 drivers.

Read more »