Waterloo Regional Police Service Const. Jennifer Falsetto has been demoted and faces five years of drug testing after pleading guilty to discreditable conduct.
Falsetto will go from a First Class Constable to a Fourth Class Constable and will face regular drug tests for the next five years as part of the condition for keeping her job.
The demotion is just one step short of a complete dismissal and she will have to earn her way back up the ladder.
WRPS Insp. Kevin Thaler says “There’s a significant number of conditions she has to abide by and that has to be evaluated throughout this process. And each year she’s eligible to be promoted through one rank to regain her rank as a First Class Constable.”
In January Falsetto pleaded guilty to nine counts of discreditable conduct under the Police Services Act and faced the possibility of losing her job altogether.
She was an eight-year veteran of the force when she admitted to buying and smoking marijuana a number of times while off-duty.
At the time she told officials the marijuana use often happened while with other officers and that an officer sometimes supplied the drugs.
At Monday’s hearing officials heard Falsetto had been suffering through a depression-like illness and using alcohol and later marijuana to deal with stress.
Defence lawyer Pamela Machado says “Remorse was something that was indicated from her behaviour post incident from day one, and she recognized she was suffering from a problem.”
Falsetto offered a tearful apology for her actions and has been undergoing counselling, with medical experts agreeing she’s on the road to recovery.
She is not facing any criminal charges in connection with her actions, but any violation of her conditions will lead to her termination from the force.
