TORONTO

If you won’t suspend a police officer charged with murder what would you ever suspend one for?

And why risk the integrity of Crime Stoppers by placing a man inside accused in one of Toronto’s most well-covered criminal cases?

The facts are Const. James Forcillo is facing a second-degree murder charge for the July 27, 2013 TTC shooting of 18-year-old Sammy Yatim.

“Now you can not only call Crime Stoppers to snitch on a murder suspect, you can actually speak with a murder suspect,” commented retired Toronto Police Staff Sgt. Darryl Monaghan. “I can’t think of a worse location to place Forcillo.”

Who knows what he is really doing in there. Even though police have said he is there in an administrative role and would have no interaction with the public, the optics are still bad.

What happens if someone calls and says, “I have some information in the Forcillo case?”

Does he say, “You are talking with him?”

What if someone calls in with a video that could help him in his case? Or implicate him?

Does he run into any of his peers at headquarters who could be called as witnesses?

Did Toronto Police think any of this through?

It was a bad idea from the beginning.

As Chris Doucette reported, Chief Bill Blair decided in February to remove the suspended-with-pay tag from Forcillo and allow him to go back to work in an administrative role at Crime Stoppers.

“This decision could hurt the Crime Stoppers program,” said Monaghan.

It’s so obvious.

This was a crazy move that is far more long-lasting in its precedent-setting potential than anything Mayor Rob Ford has been accused of doing.

The seriousness of this case is being glossed over. It likely wouldn’t have had the outcome if the streetcar incident had Forcillo killed and Yatim charged.

This appears to be the Blue Wall taking care of one of its own.

Readers in an online survey on torontosun.com voted 76% (1198) to 24% (384) against Forcillo being back to work.

This concern, though, was falling on deaf ears at Toronto Police headquarters.

“The decision will not be reviewed,” said Toronto Police spokesman Meaghan Gray.

Don’t blame Toronto Police Association president Mike McCormack or lawyer Peter Brauti. They are doing their jobs.

Don’t blame Forcillo since he has every right to defend himself — just as the Yatim family have every right to be upset.

What does the chief have to say about this?

He was the one, after all, who originally suspended the officer with pay and said “as a father, I can only imagine their terrible grief and their need for answers. We will commit to doing our best to ensure that those answers are provided.”

Why not wait for the equal and unbiased judicial process to be completed before getting a guy back to work?

In fairness I already knew Blair is out of the country in Costa Rica this week with our mutual friend Walter Oster in a planned fishing trip. In fact the photo of the chief’s catch of a 130-pound fighting tarpon was going to appear in my Saturday Scrawler column anyway. I don’t think the chief’s trip should be cut short or expect him to address this matter until he gets back on the weekend.

But if travel allows, it would be good if he could be at a Sunday rally for Yatim at Dundas Square to not only face those upset about this but perhaps explain the rationale behind his decision.

Whenever he does return, he needs to tell the public why there seem to be two sets of rules for those charged.

And how somebody accused of murder is working among people paid to investigate and arrest for such things.