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Corruption charges laid by national police Thursday after a 10-month probe brought to light details of an alleged tow-truck kickback scheme involving three Ottawa police officers that has been brewing in the tow truck community for years.

The RCMP allege Ottawa officers traded information on the location of collisions to select tow operators in exchange for cash.

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Through a combination of official records and interviews conducted by this newspaper with multiple tow-truck drivers and people with knowledge of the alleged scheme, a fuller picture has emerged of how the alleged operation worked and the individuals involved.

Criminal charges have been brought against former military men, one of the faces of the Ottawa force’s neighbourhood policing teams, and a key witness in a first-degree murder case.

Ottawa police Chief Peter Sloly said the charges against his officers are a “major set-back” for the police service that will “shake the trust and confidence that OPS members have worked long and hard to earn with the public.” Sloly said that all police officers on the force will be troubled by the news.