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Allen has also been an advocate for developing a training program for police to recognize and respond to people having seizures. He has advocated for people to disclose their epilepsy to their employers and colleagues.

Allen said he has woken up in handcuffs in hospital three times after having seizures while on the job. He told CBC Edmonton in 2014 that he was also Tasered in front of his children on Parliament Hill in 2008 following a seizure while he was off duty. A blog post on Epilepsy Ontario, a charity and awareness organization in which Allen has frequently appeared, attributes the same event to 2010.

As an officer with an unpredictable and chronic neurological condition, Allen was not permitted, when on active duty, to drive a cruiser or carry a gun.

While these are the first criminal charges against him, Allen also has a lengthy history of internal discipline.

In 2013, he was docked 24 hours of pay and was told to attend mandatory training after a 2012 incident where he approached a civilian employee and “put his arm around her neck.” The actions were not welcomed by the woman and a disciplinary hearing found they were “clearly inappropriate” and an “embarrassment” to the police force.

In 2006, Allen was demoted for six months after he crashed his personal vehicle into a construction fence on Metcalfe St., while driving without insurance in 2005. He fled the scene without reporting the collision. That collision occurred after Allen had just worked as part of a police security detail while former American president George Bush was in Ottawa. Police were able to track their fellow officer when a construction worker at the collision found Allen’s licence plate, which had fallen off his vehicle. Allen’s vehicle hadn’t been insured for nearly 16 months and also had an expired registration. Ontario drivers with epilepsy may be permitted to drive if they satisfy a series of conditions, including being seizure-free for a minimum of six months. Allen was also fined $2,500 under the Highway Traffic Act for the infraction.

In 2004, Allen accidentally fired a bullet in the men’s police locker room when he ejected a round from his police gun but didn’t remove the magazine. He was docked a day’s pay for that.

Allen has also been informally disciplined by the force. In 2003, he missed three paid-duty assignments.

Allen is not the only member of his family with ties to Ottawa policing. His mother, Miriam Allen, is a former member of the Gloucester police board, one of the forces that amalgamated to form the OPS.

Allen is next scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 5.

syogaretnam@postmedia.com

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