Peel Regional Police (PRP) have confirmed that three officers were denied promotions and handed internal discipline after an investigation found that they improperly accessed or shared confidential material tied to a major promotional process earlier this year.
The findings stem from an internal complaint filed during the service’s largest-ever round of promotions — a process that saw 82 PRP officers elevated to new ranks, with others approved for advancement as positions became available.
The complaint triggered a professional standards investigation into potential cheating involving candidates seeking roles at the Staff Sergeant/Detective Sergeant and Sergeant/Detective levels.
A spokesperson for Peel police confirmed the outcome to 680 NewsRadio, saying the officers “received and/or shared confidential information” connected to the competition.
The alleged misconduct did not meet the threshold for a public disciplinary hearing under Ontario’s Community Safety and Policing Act, meaning the specific penalties will not be disclosed. The officers that police say were involved were removed from consideration for promotion and issued undisclosed internal discipline.
No senior PRP officers were implicated in the misconduct, in contrast to a recent high-profile cheating scandal within the Toronto Police Service (TPS), where a senior officer was publicly disciplined.
In that case, Superintendent Stacy Clarke admitted during a police tribunal hearing that she shared interview questions with six officers applying to become sergeants.
Clarke, the first Black woman to reach the superintendent rank in Toronto, said she acted to “level the playing field” in a process she believed disadvantaged certain candidates. She was demoted as part of the penalty.