Police officer who got drunk while guarding dead person's home pleads guilty to misconduct

A police officer who became intoxicated while he was guarding a body in a northwest Toronto apartment earlier this year pleaded guilty to one charge of misconduct on Thursday.

Const. Junior McLaughlin was brought before a disciplinary committee of the Toronto Police Service at police headquarters.

​He pleaded guilty to being unfit for duty due to consumption of alcohol/drugs.

According to a Toronto Police Service affidavit of the incident, on Jan. 28 this year, McLaughlin responded to a radio call for a foot pursuit of a suspect.

McLaughlin was assigned to be in the area of Albion Road and Todd Brook Drive while other officers searched for the suspect, the affidavit says.

While at the location, McLaughlin consumed a quantity of alcohol. The affadavit then goes on to say that McLaughlin returned to 23 Division and consumed more alcohol in the parking lot.

There is no mention in the affadavit how McLaughlin got to the police station from the apartment but it does say that he called a police dispatcher and his speech was slurred.

The statement of facts say that McLaughlin was located by an officer near his marked car in the division parking lot, taken into the station and taken home.

The incident sparked an investigation by the Toronto Police Service's professional standards unit.

McLaughlin has been on the job since the incident.

At Thursday's hearing, the prosecutor and the defence submitted a joint submission for a 12 day suspension.

The Professional Standards judge will give his ruling electronically within the next two weeks.