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An internal investigation into what Ottawa police officers are calling “phantom” traffic warnings has grown to take in approximately 20 traffic officers, the Citizen has learned.

That is double the number of officers that were the focus of the investigation last November, multiple sources confirmed to the Citizen.

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The force’s professional standards section, which investigates officer misconduct, launched a probe into officers allegedly falsifying traffic warnings to skew their internal statistics to suggest more warnings were being handed out.

Traffic warnings, or printed citations, carry no fines, but the number an officer issues is tracked for the purposes of promotion and enforcement efforts.

On Monday, Chief Charles Bordeleau sent an email to the full police service announcing the suspension of Const. Peter Dawson, the second officer to be removed from duties because of the investigation. Const. Edward Ellis, a fellow member of the traffic escort and enforcement unit, was suspended last September.