Hamilton cop demoted, blamed fraud benefits claims on daughter
Jason Howard will be demoted from sergeant to 2nd-class constable, a discipline hearing found Tuesday
Hamilton Police officer Jason Howard will be demoted from sergeant to second-class constable for two years after he pleaded guilty to racking up hundreds of dollars in fraudulent benefits claims and blaming it on his 12-year-old daughter.
In a sentencing hearing Tuesday at the end of a two-year discipline process, hearing officer Terence Kelly said that Howard is not beyond rehabilitation and should be given an opportunity to get back to work and prove he can change.
"You have been given a second chance," Kelly told Howard. "Make the best of this opportunity, not only for yourself, but for your family."
- Cop who blamed fraud on daughter shouldn't be fired: defence
- Hamilton cop: 'I was not myself,' blamed daughter for false claims
- Hamilton cop blamed daughter, 12, for false benefit claims
After the hearing, a member of Howard's defence team, Benjamin Jefferies, said that the result of the hearing was vindicating for Howard. The service had sought to dismiss Howard in hearings last fall.
"I think the message here is that a mistake was made, he owned up to it," Jefferies said. "And that's ultimately the reason why this is a decision of demotion rather than dismissal, because Sgt. Howard continues to be a valued member of the Hamilton Police Service."
In 2015, Jason Howard was listed in public sector records as a first-class sergeant with the Hamilton Police Service, earning $121,695.
The demotion will mean a pay cut of $63,000 total over the two-year demotion to second-class constable, according to Hamilton Police.
Howard joined the police service in 1998 and pleaded guilty to filing $960 in false benefit claims for chiropractic and physiotherapy services. When he was caught, he blamed his then 12-year-old daughter for the filing discrepancies.
He has been reporting to the police station daily as a condition of his suspension.