Premier Ford, TPA president defend middle finger-flashing cop, saying she was baited and harassed

The Toronto Police Service (TPS) is investigating an officer’s conduct after she was captured on video giving a citizen the middle finger during a spat about illegal parking.

In a video posted to social media, a man can be heard confronting two officers after he accused them of parking illegally in a loading zone to pick up drinks at Starbucks.

“Are you allowed to park in a loading zone, no parking, while everybody else gets screwed on tickets?” the man asks.

“So if I parked there, how much would my ticket be?”

The female officer tries to justify the parking job, saying, “I get where you are coming from, but at the end of the day, we have to work 11 hours; we need caffeine.”

“Don’t cop-splain to me,” the annoyed citizen quickly fires back.

“You guys shouldn’t be doing this. It looks really bad … You guys … have to respect the public a little bit more.”

The male officer tries to launch another defence but is quickly shut down.

“[Would you] rather me park on Front Street, where it’s very busy…”

“I’d rather you park in a normal parking spot, just like everybody else has to,” the man interjects before the officer can finish his sentence.

As the officers get back in the cruiser with their drinks, the female officer delivers a parting shot.

“We are doing our job, bro.”

“I’m not your bro,” the peeved citizen snarls. That’s when the female officer nonchalantly unfurls her middle finger.

It’s unclear when the video was shot or the exact location.

Watch the video of the incident here.

Premier Doug Ford, TPA president defend officers

Ontario Premier Doug Ford was asked about the now-viral video during a Wednesday press conference in Mississauga. Ford defended the officers, saying citizens ought to be thanking the police instead of provoking them.

“Let’s support our police,” Ford said. “That’s what I call this. Harassment. Why don’t we say thank you, shake their hands and keep going? By the way, next time you’re at a coffee shop, how about I run in and buy you a coffee.”

Toronto Police Association President Jon Reid also felt the officers were baited — something he says has become common in the social media era.

You see situations like this where people are actually coming after our officers, trying to bait them into interactions and negative reactions as well,” he said.

“This individual here ends up having a discussion with the officers at the car and then proceeds to follow them … and I think that’s absolutely terrible.”

CityNews contacted the Toronto Police Service to ask about the incident.

“While we can’t speak to the specifics of the incident captured in the video, we acknowledge the officer’s response was not appropriate,” a police spokesperson said.

“The Professional Standards Unit is investigating.”