How Seven Officers Allegedly Turned “Protect and Serve” Into “Access and Distribute”

Look, we all knew police procedurals on TV weren’t exactly documentary-level accurate. But I don’t think anyone expected real-life cops to be running a criminal enterprise that would make The Wire look like a children’s show. Welcome to Project South, the investigation that’s currently making every Crown prosecutor in Toronto panic-check which officers were involved in their cases.

Seven active Toronto Police Service officers and one retired member were arrested on February 5, 2026, in what York Regional Police are calling one of the most complex police corruption probes in Canadian history. The charges? Oh, just the usual light fare: bribery, breach of trust, obstruction of justice, drug trafficking, and… wait for it… allegedly helping organized crime plan a murder by unlawfully accessing police databases.

You know, standard everyday stuff…or not!

The Plot That Started It All (And By Plot, I Mean Actual Murder Plot)

Project South kicked off in June 2025 when York Regional Police discovered that someone was trying to kill a corrections officer. Not just any corrections officer, mind you, but a deputy superintendent at an Ontario jail who was apparently doing his job too well by cracking down on contraband.

The would-be assassins showed up at the victim’s home three times over 36 hours. On their third visit, they helpfully crashed their vehicle into a marked police cruiser parked in the driveway. Because nothing says “stealthy hit job” like ramming a cop car. Three suspects were arrested, including two youths and one adult.

But here’s where it gets interesting. Investigators allege that Toronto Police Constable Timothy Barnhardt had unlawfully accessed police databases to obtain the victim’s personal information, which then made its way through criminal networks to the people planning the hit. If your data privacy and governance senses are going haywire here, I’m right there with you.

The corrections officer was allegedly targeted because he was effective at stopping drugs from entering the facility, a business model certain people found inconvenient.

Think about that for a second. A police officer allegedly helped criminals target another law enforcement official for doing his job. That’s not just corruption; that’s corruption with layers.

Welcome to the Criminal Marketplace: Where Data Is Currency

Once investigators started pulling on this thread, the whole sweater unraveled. Turns out, allegedly accessing databases for organized crime was more than a one-off favour. According to York Regional Police Deputy Chief Ryan Hogan, officers were allegedly running searches and distributing confidential information that was later linked to shootings, extortion, commercial robberies, and drug trafficking across Southern Ontario.

The business model was elegant in its simplicity: organized crime figures needed information (addresses, identities, investigative details), and certain officers allegedly had database access. Hello supply, meet your bestie, demand.

In some cases, officers allegedly received bribes. In others, they allegedly provided “protection” for illegal cannabis dispensaries in exchange for, well, whatever passes for a consulting fee in organized crime circles.

According to investigators, addresses obtained through unlawful database queries were subsequently tied to at least seven shootings. One firearm recovered at a shooting scene was traced to the U.S. and forensically linked to multiple shootings across southern Ontario. Meanwhile, Constable Derek McCormick allegedly went old school and just straight-up stole physical property delivered to his police station, driver’s licenses, passports, health cards and so on, rather than logging them as evidence.

Why fill out paperwork when you can fill your pockets, right?

The Legal Dumpster Fire: Your Case Might Be Toast

Here’s where it gets legally spicy. Every single case these officers touched is now potentially compromised. And I mean every single one.

Criminal defence lawyers are already salivating. Adam Weisberg, president of the Criminal Lawyers’ Association, told CBC that the allegations have “the potential to cause a lot of cases to have to be stayed or withdrawn.” Criminal lawyer Ehsan Ghebrai went further, stating bluntly that there are cases that “cannot proceed as a result of the impact that these officers are going to have.”

Why? Because in criminal law, credibility is everything. When an officer is facing charges for bribery, breach of trust, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and allegedly leaking information to organized crime, their testimony becomes about as reliable as a cryptocurrency investment pitch from your cousin.

Under Canadian law, if an officer’s credibility is central to a case — whether they arrested someone, testified in court, or handled evidence — and that credibility is now fatally compromised, the case can collapse. The Crown has a duty to disclose any information that could affect the credibility of witnesses, and “currently facing criminal charges for corruption” definitely qualifies.

The Toronto Police Service is working with the Ontario Crown Attorneys’ Association to determine the impact on active investigations. But they haven’t said how many cases we’re talking about. Could be dozens. Could be hundreds. Nobody knows yet, which is arguably terrifying from a criminal justice perspective.

Breach of Trust: It’s Not Just a Bad Tinder Date

The legal framework here is Section 122 of the Criminal Code, which covers breach of trust by a public officer. This is serious business. The offence carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, and Canadian courts have made it abundantly clear that they don’t mess around with police corruption.

To make out the offence, the Crown must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that:

1. The accused was a public official
2. The accused acted in connection with their duties
3. The accused breached the standard of responsibility and conduct demanded by the nature of the office
4. The conduct was a serious and marked departure from expected standards
5. The accused acted with intent to use their public office for a purpose other than the public good

Courts have specifically held that “only the most exceptional circumstances can justify a discharge” for breach of trust by a police officer. Translation: if you’re convicted, you’re probably going to jail.

Why? Because as one judgment put it, the offence “strikes at the integrity of the administration of justice itself.” When a police officer betrays the public trust, they don’t just harm the immediate victim — they undermine the entire system’s legitimacy.

And boy, has legitimacy taken a hit here.

The Cascade of Consequences

Let’s talk about what else is implicated here beyond individual criminal cases.

Previous convictions: Defence lawyers can potentially reopen past cases if they can show the officer’s misconduct existed at the time of trial. This gets harder as time passes, but it’s absolutely on the table.

Civil liability: The City of Toronto could be facing a tsunami of civil suits. Wrongful conviction claims. Charter violation claims. Malicious prosecution claims. Get your popcorn.

Institutional trust: Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said Torontonians “deserve to know that the police officers they deal with every day can be trusted, not corrupt, and acting with integrity.” She’s not wrong, but that trust is currently in the recycling bin. Chief Myron Demkiw has requested an independent inspection by Ontario’s Inspector General of Policing to examine database access controls and oversight mechanisms. The barn door is being secured after the horses have not only bolted but allegedly joined organized crime.

Other investigations: York Regional Police made it clear that Project South is ongoing and additional charges are possible. Shhhhheeesshh, that sound you hear is probably every police officer in the GTA deleting their browser history.

The Officers Themselves: A Rogues’ Gallery

The accused officers read like a greatest hits of bad decisions:

Constable Timothy Barnhardt faces charges including accepting bribes, breach of trust, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and five counts of drug trafficking for cocaine, Oxycodone, Xanax, Adderall, and MDMA. According to the 2025 Ontario Sunshine List, he earned $131,241.80 in 2024. He also filed for bankruptcy in 1991 with about $41,000 in liabilities and $350 in assets. Financial stress + database access = allegedly very bad decisions.

Sergeant Robert Black was already facing disciplinary charges for failing to report communications with a confidential informant “on numerous occasions” between 2019 and 2022. He earned $153,569.68 in 2024.

Constable John Madeley Jr. shares a name with his father, retired officer John Madeley Sr., who is also charged in the investigation. Madeley Sr. has a disciplinary record that includes: drinking and driving (charge stayed), misusing a police cruiser to get to a union meeting (driving with lights and sirens, running reds, using the shoulder), leaving his service revolver on his car trunk (it was later found in the middle of the road with a magazine and 14 rounds), and losing his police-issued iPhone for months before reporting it. He retired before those last two cases could be resolved. Convenient timing.

Constable Derek McCormick allegedly stole property delivered to his police station; bank cards, passports, government IDs instead of logging them as evidence. He was suspended with pay three weeks before Project South went public.

Constable Elias Mouawad filed a consumer proposal last year because he owes more than $58,000 in federal taxes, which he attributes to “financial mismanagement from over-time.” Nothing says “I need extra cash” like allegedly selling police intelligence to criminals.

What This Means for You (Yes, You)

If you’re thinking “well, I’m not a criminal, so this doesn’t affect me,” think again.

This scandal demonstrates how vulnerable critical government databases are when there are no adequate controls or oversight. Every time you interact with law enforcement — getting pulled over, filing a report, being a witness — your personal information goes into a system. The assumption is that only authorized people with legitimate reasons will access it.

That assumption is now in tatters.

The Toronto Police Service Board chair and Chief Demkiw have requested an independent review examining database access, internal controls, and oversight mechanisms. Great! Should’ve done that before officers allegedly turned the police database into a shopping catalog for organized crime, but better late than never, I suppose.

The Uncomfortable Questions No One Wants to Ask

How long has this been going on? York Regional Police say the investigation began in June 2025, but the alleged conduct spans years. Some officers had previous disciplinary issues. Constable Barnhardt’s 2016 guilty plea for discreditable conduct involved parking a marked vehicle in a closed car lot… not exactly a red flag screaming “future alleged drug trafficker,” but still.

How many other officers are involved? Deputy Chief Hogan said the investigation is ongoing and additional charges are possible. The phrase “we will pursue every lead” is both reassuring and terrifying.

How did this not get caught sooner? Police databases typically have audit functions. Someone should have noticed that Constable Barnhardt was allegedly running queries on people unrelated to any official investigation. Either the oversight was nonexistent, or someone wasn’t paying attention. Neither option inspires confidence.

The Bigger Picture: Organized Crime’s Infiltration Playbook

York Regional Police Chief Jim MacSween noted that the case “underscores the insidious, corrosive nature of organized crime, and highlights how these criminals find a way to infiltrate even the most well protected institutions.”

He’s right. Organized crime doesn’t just operate outside the system, it actively works to corrupt the system from within. Infiltrating police services is the holy grail because it provides:

• Advance warning of investigations
• Intelligence on rivals and targets
• Protection from enforcement
• Access to databases full of exploitable information

It’s not new. History is full of police corruption scandals. But in the digital age, when one officer with database access can allegedly compromise the safety of countless people with a few keystrokes, the stakes are higher than ever.

What Happens Next?

The seven active officers have been suspended, and Chief Demkiw is seeking suspension without pay for four of them where legally permitted. They’ll all face criminal proceedings, which could take years to resolve.

Meanwhile, prosecutors are scrambling to assess which cases are salvageable. Defence lawyers are filing applications. Civil litigation is likely brewing. The Inspector General will conduct a review. Politicians will promise reforms.

And somewhere, a corrections officer who was just trying to do his job is probably wondering how someone with a badge allegedly decided his life was worth less than whatever money or favour they got in return.

The Takeaway

This isn’t just a story about a few bad apples. It’s about systemic failures in oversight, database security, and institutional accountability. It’s about what happens when we build powerful tools and then fail to ensure they’re not abused.

The Toronto Police Service has over 8,000 members. The vast majority are presumably not selling confidential information to organized crime. But as Chief Demkiw acknowledged, “organized crime is corrosive, and that had infected our service.”

Infection is the right word. Because corruption spreads. It undermines trust. It puts lives at risk. It makes a mockery of the justice system. And it gives criminals something they should never have: inside help.

Section 122 of the Criminal Code exists for exactly this reason — to protect the integrity of public institutions by ensuring that those who abuse their positions face serious consequences. Now we’ll see if the system can hold its own accountable.

Spoiler alert: Based on historical precedent and the severity of these allegations, if convicted, these officers are looking at jail time. And rightfully so. Because if you can’t trust the public officials with access to your most sensitive information, who can you trust?

---