Former constable Matthew Brewer — whose list of offenses included following his wife with a gun while she was in a “crisis situation,” pepper-spraying a handcuffed suspect in the back of a police cruiser, as well as driving while impaired and cursing a staff sergeant who believed he was sleeping with his common-law partner — is no longer being paid as of Tuesday, Toronto police say. Hearing Officer of the Ministry Riyaz Hussein, who now faces his own impaired driving charges, originally ordered in July 2021 that Brewer be fired unless he resigns. Brewer appealed that decision, so he remained suspended with pay until this month, according to provincial law. The Ontario Civilian Police Commission rejected Brewer’s appeal on August 8. “The Toronto Police Service expects the highest standards of conduct from all of its officers and staff and holds them accountable through disciplinary procedures,” spokeswoman Stephanie Sayer said in an emailed statement. “It was the Hearing Officer’s view that Constable Brewer’s conduct fell below that standard and that he should no longer be able to serve and protect the communities of Toronto.” Brewer’s attorney, David Butt, says it’s “disappointing that the punitive perspective will win out” in this case. He also said his client had scored a “huge victory” in his personal recovery and had been sober for more than three years. (Dan Taekema/CBC) Documents from disciplinary hearings show Brewer was dealing with both post-traumatic stress disorder and alcoholism, which David Butt, Brewer’s lawyer, said was emblematic of the “enormous toll” policing took on his client. “These kinds of illnesses and these kinds of struggles are endemic in policing, in frontline responders,” Batt told CBC News. He said Brewer has been sober for more than three years and it’s disappointing that a “punitive approach” won out in this case over a “pro-health and wellness approach.” Batt also said it’s ironic that the hearing officer in the case is facing his own criminal charges for impaired driving. Hussain is currently on administrative duty pending the outcome of his own criminal and disciplinary hearings.
Multiple instances of misconduct
Hearing documents reviewed by CBC News list several criminal and internal disciplinary charges Brewer has faced in recent years. The earliest is from Dec. 1, 2016. At the time, the documents say, Brewer was “in a state of crisis” and “under the influence of alcohol and prescription drugs” when he brought a handgun into the room where his wife was sleeping. He then followed her into the house with it, before putting it in his mouth and later shooting it into the air when she was outside the residence. He was later convicted of common nuisance and unlawful possession of a weapon and given a suspended sentence, along with the forfeiture of five days of admission through the internal disciplinary process. The Toronto Police Force says it “expects the highest standards of conduct from all its officers and staff and holds them accountable through disciplinary procedures.” (Robert Krbavac/CBC) Another charge of disorderly conduct stemmed from an arrest in Toronto in September 2016. Brewer, documents say, had chased a man who stabbed a restaurant patron before violently resisting arrest. After Brewer and his partner put the man in the police cruiser, the suspect kicked in the back door. Brewer then swore at the man and sprayed him with pepper spray, according to documents. At the man’s criminal trial, the Crown conceded that the use of pepper spray amounted to excessive force and the judge agreed, upholding charges against the accused for assaulting the arresting officers. Another incredible behavior came from a drunk driving accident in nearby Durham, Ont. on May 5, 2019. Hearing documents state there was a “serious traffic accident” and Brewer was one of the drivers. Brewer was “rude and combative with first responders on scene” who observed him to be “noticeably impaired,” which was later confirmed by a breath test, the documents state. He later pleaded guilty to dangerous and impaired driving and was suspended, fined and banned from driving.
“Unable to perform his duties”
Another case included in the disciplinary process stemmed from a phone conversation and text messages Brewer had with a Toronto police sergeant in July 2018. “[Brewer] had information that led him to believe the sergeant was intimate with his common-law partner,” the hearing documents read, and that some of the “inappropriate” things Brewer said included calling the other officer “a staff sergeant of the king whose ass I’ll kick.’ In his original ruling, Hussain said Brewer had shown “a pattern of misconduct” that was “devastating.” “Brewer is incapable of performing his duties as a police officer and his usefulness to the Toronto Police Service and the community has been nullified,” Hussain wrote. Butt, Brewer’s attorney, said his client “fought an exemplary fight,” given his PTSD and addiction issues, and is now in a better place health-wise. He said people should try to understand that police officers who “give until it hurts” often don’t have a straight line to recovery. “We can’t penalize our way out of this problem,” Butt said.
title: “Toronto Police Officer Resigns After Period Of Extreme Misconduct Cut From Pay After Appeal Fails Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-11” author: “Pamela Cross”
Former constable Matthew Brewer — whose list of offenses included following his wife with a gun while she was in a “crisis situation,” pepper-spraying a handcuffed suspect in the back of a police cruiser, as well as driving while impaired and cursing a staff sergeant who believed he was sleeping with his common-law partner — is no longer being paid as of Tuesday, Toronto police say. Hearing Officer of the Ministry Riyaz Hussein, who now faces his own impaired driving charges, originally ordered in July 2021 that Brewer be fired unless he resigns. Brewer appealed that decision, so he remained suspended with pay until this month, according to provincial law. The Ontario Civilian Police Commission rejected Brewer’s appeal on August 8. “The Toronto Police Service expects the highest standards of conduct from all of its officers and staff and holds them accountable through disciplinary procedures,” spokeswoman Stephanie Sayer said in an emailed statement. “It was the Hearing Officer’s view that Constable Brewer’s conduct fell below that standard and that he should no longer be able to serve and protect the communities of Toronto.” Brewer’s attorney, David Butt, says it’s “disappointing that the punitive perspective will win out” in this case. He also said his client had scored a “huge victory” in his personal recovery and had been sober for more than three years. (Dan Taekema/CBC) Documents from disciplinary hearings show Brewer was dealing with both post-traumatic stress disorder and alcoholism, which David Butt, Brewer’s lawyer, said was emblematic of the “enormous toll” policing took on his client. “These kinds of illnesses and these kinds of struggles are endemic in policing, in frontline responders,” Batt told CBC News. He said Brewer has been sober for more than three years and it’s disappointing that a “punitive approach” won out in this case over a “pro-health and wellness approach.” Batt also said it’s ironic that the hearing officer in the case is facing his own criminal charges for impaired driving. Hussain is currently on administrative duty pending the outcome of his own criminal and disciplinary hearings.
Multiple instances of misconduct
Hearing documents reviewed by CBC News list several criminal and internal disciplinary charges Brewer has faced in recent years. The earliest is from Dec. 1, 2016. At the time, the documents say, Brewer was “in a state of crisis” and “under the influence of alcohol and prescription drugs” when he brought a handgun into the room where his wife was sleeping. He then followed her into the house with it, before putting it in his mouth and later shooting it into the air when she was outside the residence. He was later convicted of common nuisance and unlawful possession of a weapon and given a suspended sentence, along with the forfeiture of five days of admission through the internal disciplinary process. The Toronto Police Force says it “expects the highest standards of conduct from all its officers and staff and holds them accountable through disciplinary procedures.” (Robert Krbavac/CBC) Another charge of disorderly conduct stemmed from an arrest in Toronto in September 2016. Brewer, documents say, had chased a man who stabbed a restaurant patron before violently resisting arrest. After Brewer and his partner put the man in the police cruiser, the suspect kicked in the back door. Brewer then swore at the man and sprayed him with pepper spray, according to documents. At the man’s criminal trial, the Crown conceded that the use of pepper spray amounted to excessive force and the judge agreed, upholding charges against the accused for assaulting the arresting officers. Another incredible behavior came from a drunk driving accident in nearby Durham, Ont. on May 5, 2019. Hearing documents state there was a “serious traffic accident” and Brewer was one of the drivers. Brewer was “rude and combative with first responders on scene” who observed him to be “noticeably impaired,” which was later confirmed by a breath test, the documents state. He later pleaded guilty to dangerous and impaired driving and was suspended, fined and banned from driving.
“Unable to perform his duties”
Another case included in the disciplinary process stemmed from a phone conversation and text messages Brewer had with a Toronto police sergeant in July 2018. “[Brewer] had information that led him to believe the sergeant was intimate with his common-law partner,” the hearing documents read, and that some of the “inappropriate” things Brewer said included calling the other officer “a staff sergeant of the king whose ass I’ll kick.’ In his original ruling, Hussain said Brewer had shown “a pattern of misconduct” that was “devastating.” “Brewer is incapable of performing his duties as a police officer and his usefulness to the Toronto Police Service and the community has been nullified,” Hussain wrote. Butt, Brewer’s attorney, said his client “fought an exemplary fight,” given his PTSD and addiction issues, and is now in a better place health-wise. He said people should try to understand that police officers who “give until it hurts” often don’t have a straight line to recovery. “We can’t penalize our way out of this problem,” Butt said.
title: “Toronto Police Officer Resigns After Period Of Extreme Misconduct Cut From Pay After Appeal Fails Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-01” author: “Timothy Smith”
Former constable Matthew Brewer — whose list of offenses included following his wife with a gun while she was in a “crisis situation,” pepper-spraying a handcuffed suspect in the back of a police cruiser, as well as driving while impaired and cursing a staff sergeant who believed he was sleeping with his common-law partner — is no longer being paid as of Tuesday, Toronto police say. Hearing Officer of the Ministry Riyaz Hussein, who now faces his own impaired driving charges, originally ordered in July 2021 that Brewer be fired unless he resigns. Brewer appealed that decision, so he remained suspended with pay until this month, according to provincial law. The Ontario Civilian Police Commission rejected Brewer’s appeal on August 8. “The Toronto Police Service expects the highest standards of conduct from all of its officers and staff and holds them accountable through disciplinary procedures,” spokeswoman Stephanie Sayer said in an emailed statement. “It was the Hearing Officer’s view that Constable Brewer’s conduct fell below that standard and that he should no longer be able to serve and protect the communities of Toronto.” Brewer’s attorney, David Butt, says it’s “disappointing that the punitive perspective will win out” in this case. He also said his client had scored a “huge victory” in his personal recovery and had been sober for more than three years. (Dan Taekema/CBC) Documents from disciplinary hearings show Brewer was dealing with both post-traumatic stress disorder and alcoholism, which David Butt, Brewer’s lawyer, said was emblematic of the “enormous toll” policing took on his client. “These kinds of illnesses and these kinds of struggles are endemic in policing, in frontline responders,” Batt told CBC News. He said Brewer has been sober for more than three years and it’s disappointing that a “punitive approach” won out in this case over a “pro-health and wellness approach.” Batt also said it’s ironic that the hearing officer in the case is facing his own criminal charges for impaired driving. Hussain is currently on administrative duty pending the outcome of his own criminal and disciplinary hearings.
Multiple instances of misconduct
Hearing documents reviewed by CBC News list several criminal and internal disciplinary charges Brewer has faced in recent years. The earliest is from Dec. 1, 2016. At the time, the documents say, Brewer was “in a state of crisis” and “under the influence of alcohol and prescription drugs” when he brought a handgun into the room where his wife was sleeping. He then followed her into the house with it, before putting it in his mouth and later shooting it into the air when she was outside the residence. He was later convicted of common nuisance and unlawful possession of a weapon and given a suspended sentence, along with the forfeiture of five days of admission through the internal disciplinary process. The Toronto Police Force says it “expects the highest standards of conduct from all its officers and staff and holds them accountable through disciplinary procedures.” (Robert Krbavac/CBC) Another charge of disorderly conduct stemmed from an arrest in Toronto in September 2016. Brewer, documents say, had chased a man who stabbed a restaurant patron before violently resisting arrest. After Brewer and his partner put the man in the police cruiser, the suspect kicked in the back door. Brewer then swore at the man and sprayed him with pepper spray, according to documents. At the man’s criminal trial, the Crown conceded that the use of pepper spray amounted to excessive force and the judge agreed, upholding charges against the accused for assaulting the arresting officers. Another incredible behavior came from a drunk driving accident in nearby Durham, Ont. on May 5, 2019. Hearing documents state there was a “serious traffic accident” and Brewer was one of the drivers. Brewer was “rude and combative with first responders on scene” who observed him to be “noticeably impaired,” which was later confirmed by a breath test, the documents state. He later pleaded guilty to dangerous and impaired driving and was suspended, fined and banned from driving.
“Unable to perform his duties”
Another case included in the disciplinary process stemmed from a phone conversation and text messages Brewer had with a Toronto police sergeant in July 2018. “[Brewer] had information that led him to believe the sergeant was intimate with his common-law partner,” the hearing documents read, and that some of the “inappropriate” things Brewer said included calling the other officer “a staff sergeant of the king whose ass I’ll kick.’ In his original ruling, Hussain said Brewer had shown “a pattern of misconduct” that was “devastating.” “Brewer is incapable of performing his duties as a police officer and his usefulness to the Toronto Police Service and the community has been nullified,” Hussain wrote. Butt, Brewer’s attorney, said his client “fought an exemplary fight,” given his PTSD and addiction issues, and is now in a better place health-wise. He said people should try to understand that police officers who “give until it hurts” often don’t have a straight line to recovery. “We can’t penalize our way out of this problem,” Butt said.
title: “Toronto Police Officer Resigns After Period Of Extreme Misconduct Cut From Pay After Appeal Fails Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-07” author: “Geraldine Walker”
Former constable Matthew Brewer — whose list of offenses included following his wife with a gun while she was in a “crisis situation,” pepper-spraying a handcuffed suspect in the back of a police cruiser, as well as driving while impaired and cursing a staff sergeant who believed he was sleeping with his common-law partner — is no longer being paid as of Tuesday, Toronto police say. Hearing Officer of the Ministry Riyaz Hussein, who now faces his own impaired driving charges, originally ordered in July 2021 that Brewer be fired unless he resigns. Brewer appealed that decision, so he remained suspended with pay until this month, according to provincial law. The Ontario Civilian Police Commission rejected Brewer’s appeal on August 8. “The Toronto Police Service expects the highest standards of conduct from all of its officers and staff and holds them accountable through disciplinary procedures,” spokeswoman Stephanie Sayer said in an emailed statement. “It was the Hearing Officer’s view that Constable Brewer’s conduct fell below that standard and that he should no longer be able to serve and protect the communities of Toronto.” Brewer’s attorney, David Butt, says it’s “disappointing that the punitive perspective will win out” in this case. He also said his client had scored a “huge victory” in his personal recovery and had been sober for more than three years. (Dan Taekema/CBC) Documents from disciplinary hearings show Brewer was dealing with both post-traumatic stress disorder and alcoholism, which David Butt, Brewer’s lawyer, said was emblematic of the “enormous toll” policing took on his client. “These kinds of illnesses and these kinds of struggles are endemic in policing, in frontline responders,” Batt told CBC News. He said Brewer has been sober for more than three years and it’s disappointing that a “punitive approach” won out in this case over a “pro-health and wellness approach.” Batt also said it’s ironic that the hearing officer in the case is facing his own criminal charges for impaired driving. Hussain is currently on administrative duty pending the outcome of his own criminal and disciplinary hearings.
Multiple instances of misconduct
Hearing documents reviewed by CBC News list several criminal and internal disciplinary charges Brewer has faced in recent years. The earliest is from Dec. 1, 2016. At the time, the documents say, Brewer was “in a state of crisis” and “under the influence of alcohol and prescription drugs” when he brought a handgun into the room where his wife was sleeping. He then followed her into the house with it, before putting it in his mouth and later shooting it into the air when she was outside the residence. He was later convicted of common nuisance and unlawful possession of a weapon and given a suspended sentence, along with the forfeiture of five days of admission through the internal disciplinary process. The Toronto Police Force says it “expects the highest standards of conduct from all its officers and staff and holds them accountable through disciplinary procedures.” (Robert Krbavac/CBC) Another charge of disorderly conduct stemmed from an arrest in Toronto in September 2016. Brewer, documents say, had chased a man who stabbed a restaurant patron before violently resisting arrest. After Brewer and his partner put the man in the police cruiser, the suspect kicked in the back door. Brewer then swore at the man and sprayed him with pepper spray, according to documents. At the man’s criminal trial, the Crown conceded that the use of pepper spray amounted to excessive force and the judge agreed, upholding charges against the accused for assaulting the arresting officers. Another incredible behavior came from a drunk driving accident in nearby Durham, Ont. on May 5, 2019. Hearing documents state there was a “serious traffic accident” and Brewer was one of the drivers. Brewer was “rude and combative with first responders on scene” who observed him to be “noticeably impaired,” which was later confirmed by a breath test, the documents state. He later pleaded guilty to dangerous and impaired driving and was suspended, fined and banned from driving.
“Unable to perform his duties”
Another case included in the disciplinary process stemmed from a phone conversation and text messages Brewer had with a Toronto police sergeant in July 2018. “[Brewer] had information that led him to believe the sergeant was intimate with his common-law partner,” the hearing documents read, and that some of the “inappropriate” things Brewer said included calling the other officer “a staff sergeant of the king whose ass I’ll kick.’ In his original ruling, Hussain said Brewer had shown “a pattern of misconduct” that was “devastating.” “Brewer is incapable of performing his duties as a police officer and his usefulness to the Toronto Police Service and the community has been nullified,” Hussain wrote. Butt, Brewer’s attorney, said his client “fought an exemplary fight,” given his PTSD and addiction issues, and is now in a better place health-wise. He said people should try to understand that police officers who “give until it hurts” often don’t have a straight line to recovery. “We can’t penalize our way out of this problem,” Butt said.
title: “Toronto Police Officer Resigns After Period Of Extreme Misconduct Cut From Pay After Appeal Fails Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-07” author: “Margie Myles”
Former constable Matthew Brewer — whose list of offenses included following his wife with a gun while she was in a “crisis situation,” pepper-spraying a handcuffed suspect in the back of a police cruiser, as well as driving while impaired and cursing a staff sergeant who believed he was sleeping with his common-law partner — is no longer being paid as of Tuesday, Toronto police say. Hearing Officer of the Ministry Riyaz Hussein, who now faces his own impaired driving charges, originally ordered in July 2021 that Brewer be fired unless he resigns. Brewer appealed that decision, so he remained suspended with pay until this month, according to provincial law. The Ontario Civilian Police Commission rejected Brewer’s appeal on August 8. “The Toronto Police Service expects the highest standards of conduct from all of its officers and staff and holds them accountable through disciplinary procedures,” spokeswoman Stephanie Sayer said in an emailed statement. “It was the Hearing Officer’s view that Constable Brewer’s conduct fell below that standard and that he should no longer be able to serve and protect the communities of Toronto.” Brewer’s attorney, David Butt, says it’s “disappointing that the punitive perspective will win out” in this case. He also said his client had scored a “huge victory” in his personal recovery and had been sober for more than three years. (Dan Taekema/CBC) Documents from disciplinary hearings show Brewer was dealing with both post-traumatic stress disorder and alcoholism, which David Butt, Brewer’s lawyer, said was emblematic of the “enormous toll” policing took on his client. “These kinds of illnesses and these kinds of struggles are endemic in policing, in frontline responders,” Batt told CBC News. He said Brewer has been sober for more than three years and it’s disappointing that a “punitive approach” won out in this case over a “pro-health and wellness approach.” Batt also said it’s ironic that the hearing officer in the case is facing his own criminal charges for impaired driving. Hussain is currently on administrative duty pending the outcome of his own criminal and disciplinary hearings.
Multiple instances of misconduct
Hearing documents reviewed by CBC News list several criminal and internal disciplinary charges Brewer has faced in recent years. The earliest is from Dec. 1, 2016. At the time, the documents say, Brewer was “in a state of crisis” and “under the influence of alcohol and prescription drugs” when he brought a handgun into the room where his wife was sleeping. He then followed her into the house with it, before putting it in his mouth and later shooting it into the air when she was outside the residence. He was later convicted of common nuisance and unlawful possession of a weapon and given a suspended sentence, along with the forfeiture of five days of admission through the internal disciplinary process. The Toronto Police Force says it “expects the highest standards of conduct from all its officers and staff and holds them accountable through disciplinary procedures.” (Robert Krbavac/CBC) Another charge of disorderly conduct stemmed from an arrest in Toronto in September 2016. Brewer, documents say, had chased a man who stabbed a restaurant patron before violently resisting arrest. After Brewer and his partner put the man in the police cruiser, the suspect kicked in the back door. Brewer then swore at the man and sprayed him with pepper spray, according to documents. At the man’s criminal trial, the Crown conceded that the use of pepper spray amounted to excessive force and the judge agreed, upholding charges against the accused for assaulting the arresting officers. Another incredible behavior came from a drunk driving accident in nearby Durham, Ont. on May 5, 2019. Hearing documents state there was a “serious traffic accident” and Brewer was one of the drivers. Brewer was “rude and combative with first responders on scene” who observed him to be “noticeably impaired,” which was later confirmed by a breath test, the documents state. He later pleaded guilty to dangerous and impaired driving and was suspended, fined and banned from driving.
“Unable to perform his duties”
Another case included in the disciplinary process stemmed from a phone conversation and text messages Brewer had with a Toronto police sergeant in July 2018. “[Brewer] had information that led him to believe the sergeant was intimate with his common-law partner,” the hearing documents read, and that some of the “inappropriate” things Brewer said included calling the other officer “a staff sergeant of the king whose ass I’ll kick.’ In his original ruling, Hussain said Brewer had shown “a pattern of misconduct” that was “devastating.” “Brewer is incapable of performing his duties as a police officer and his usefulness to the Toronto Police Service and the community has been nullified,” Hussain wrote. Butt, Brewer’s attorney, said his client “fought an exemplary fight,” given his PTSD and addiction issues, and is now in a better place health-wise. He said people should try to understand that police officers who “give until it hurts” often don’t have a straight line to recovery. “We can’t penalize our way out of this problem,” Butt said.
