Ottawa police officer accused of giving police information to romantic interest

An Ottawa police officer who allegedly breached the confidential police database to give information to a woman he previously pursued sexually has been charged with disciplinary offences, CBC News has learned.

Const. Troy Forgie made a brief appearance by telephone Wednesday as he faces two counts of discreditable conduct, one count of insubordination and one count of breach of confidence under the Police Services Act.

Forgie has not entered a plea to any of the charges and none of the allegations has been proven.

Ottawa police allege Forgie performed "unauthorized queries" of both the local and national police databases for "personal reasons" between Dec. 14, 2020 and Jan. 12 of this year.

Police records show Forgie allegedly did so six times — five times on Dec. 14 alone in the span of less than an hour. Two of those searches were looking at a specific report.

Ottawa police then allege on the day he conducted the majority of the searches, Forgie divulged police information that was his "duty to keep secret" to a woman. Forgie then allegedly sent "inappropriate electronic messages" to the woman about "an accused person currently before the court."

According to police sources, Forgie allegedly provided the woman, whom he had a previous romantic interest in and was pursuing for a threesome, with information about a person charged in a separate sexual assault case.

Two weeks after that alleged disclosure, investigators with the Ottawa police professional standards unit allege Forgie then viewed "sexual photographs and videos while on duty."

Forgie was suspended with pay by the force in March as a result of the investigation. 

Officer demoted in 2014

Forgie has been disciplined before.

In 2014, he was demoted for eight months after falsifying a report to turn a suspect into a confidential informant. He pleaded guilty to one count of neglect of duty and one count of discreditable conduct.

According to the sentencing decision for those charges, the hearing officer felt "with the proper supervision, guidance, mentoring and a willingness from Constable Forgie, his chances for reform and success are good."

Forgie was hired by the Ottawa Police Service in December 2005. He is a former school resource officer at J.H. Putman Public School. In a post on the school's website announcing him as their new designated officer in 2018, the school wrote that Forgie had become "an integral part of our school community."

In July 2020, the police service also highlighted Forgie's efforts to reunite a trio of brothers with their stolen bikes.

The Ottawa Police Association, who is representing him at the hearing, declined to comment on what president Matt Skof called "personal matters," but said it is supporting the officer.

Forgie is next scheduled to appear before a disciplinary hearing officer in August.