A provincial police watchdog has taken over the misconduct investigation into three Peel Regional Police (PRP) officers who were suspended amid the sweeping Project South corruption probe, which has already led to criminal charges against seven Toronto police officers and a retired member.The Law Enforcement Complaints Agency (LECA) confirmed it has assumed control of the conduct investigation after receiving formal notifications from Peel police on Feb. 23.The move follows a series of rapid developments that began earlier this month, as York Regional Police (YRP) publicly detailed what they described as one of the largest police corruption cases in Ontario’s history.The chain of events began on Feb. 5, when senior leaders from Toronto Police Service (TPS) and YRP held a joint press conference announcing criminal charges against seven TPS officers arising from Project South, a months‑long probe into organized crime and police corruption. YRP has said the investigation began in June 2025 after officers disrupted a conspiracy to commit murder in York Region, ultimately uncovering widespread misuse of police databases, alleged bribery, obstruction of justice, drug trafficking, and links to violent organized‑crime activity.A Toronto Police Service shoulder badge is seen in this undated photo. CITYNEWS.LECA takes over conduct investigationThe following day, PRP confirmed that three of their officers had been administratively suspended following further investigative work by YRP. Peel police emphasized that none of their members had been criminally charged and that the scope of YRP’s probe remained “wide‑reaching and ongoing.”The Peel suspensions came as YRP continued to examine connections between officers and alleged organized crime networks, with 27 suspects already charged as part of the broader investigation.On Feb. 9, LECA Director Stephen Leach announced that the agency had taken over the conduct investigation into the Toronto officers who were charged and arrested. Two weeks later, Peel police submitted their own misconduct notifications to LECA regarding the three suspended officers.“I want to assure the public that we will be conducting an independent investigation into the allegations of misconduct related to Project South, together with any further misconduct allegations that may arise in the course of the ongoing criminal investigations,” Leach said in a statement.