Self-described ‘conscientious’ cop accused of at-work hazing

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The allegations make this Toronto cop sound like a misbehaving frat boy in Animal House: Flinging sweaty underwear, sharing a cookie he’d secretly stashed on his privates, photographing a subordinate on the toilet.

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But if proven, they amount to more than simple bad locker-room behaviour or adolescent hijinks — the charges amount to alleged bullying and sexual harassment by a senior police detective old enough to know better.

Det. Jason Kondo, 57, a supervisor with the Integrated Gun and Gang Task Force, faces eight charges under the Police Act and was also criminally charged in June with four counts of sexual assault, four counts of mischief, interfering with property, one count of assault and one count of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

According to a Toronto Police news release in June, the 35-year veteran is accused of committing acts of workplace harassment, sexual harassment and sexual assault against his subordinates over a three-year period, including an alleged altercation where he’s accused of assaulting the victim and then producing a weapon.

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Now more details on his Police Act charges have become available following his first appearance before the disciplinary tribunal on Tuesday — and if true, what an embarrassing list they are. Kondo is alleged to have harassed four different male constables under his command while he was working as a supervisor of the #Engage416 anti-gang initiative.

Const. A worked on Kondo’s team from September 2020 through January. According to the notice of hearing, he’s accused of shutting the lights on him in the bathroom, throwing items into his stall and taking a photo of him while he was on the toilet.

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He’s also charged with misconduct for allegedly touching him inappropriately while he was in the shower and “violating his sexual integrity.” But perhaps most disgusting, Kondo is alleged to have given him a Tim Hortons cookie and later showed him a photo of the same cookie that he’d placed near his genitals.

Const. B worked on his team from September 2022 through January. It’s alleged Kondo took a pair of sweaty underwear out of a colleague’s gym bag and threw them at Const. B, hitting him in the face. He’s also accused of trying to rip away his towel while he was naked underneath and touching him inappropriately.

According to the police document, Kondo is accused of telling Const. B. not to be such a “batty boy,” which is a Jamaican patois slur for a gay man, and called him “Gundu,” which is Indian slang for a young gay boy.

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The harassment allegedly also included sending a penis-shaped bottle home in the officer’s bag, frequently calling him “Fat Albert” and hanging pictures of the cartoon character Fat Albert on the message board and above his desk.

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Const. C worked for Kondo from July 2021 through January. The allegations include Kondo taking one of the supplements on Const. C’s desk and sending him a photo of it between his butt cheeks; touching him inappropriately when he bent over in the change room and when he was getting a file in the office; and pulling the curtain back when he was taking a shower.

Const. D worked on the unit from August 2023 through January. Kondo is accused of making a comment about the officer’s buttocks and then brushing his hand and tapping him inappropriately as well as “violating his sexual integrity” by touching him inappropriately around August 2023.

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He’s also alleged to have put his cellphone over a stall wall as if he was going to photograph Const. D on the toilet and put a penis-shaped water bottle in his gym bag — which was later found by his son.

According to the notice of hearing, Kondo is also accused of tapping on the curtain while Const. D was taking a shower and spraying shaving cream, saying “you have to shave your balls” or words to that effect.

Suspended with pay since the criminal charges were laid in June, Kondo appears to have been wiped from the team biographies on the webpage for #Engage 416. But his LinkedIn page remains, where he describes himself as “a self-motivated and conscientious employee with excellent communication and interpersonal skills.”

If the allegations are proven to be true, the latter may be up for debate.

mmandel@postmedia.com

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