Chief of the Toronto Police Service

Last updated
Chief of the Toronto Police Service
Seal of the Toronto Police Service.svg
Toronto Police - Chief of Police.png
Toronto Police Service emblem (top)
and Chief of Police rank slip (bottom)
Incumbent
Myron Demkiw
since December 19, 2022
Toronto Police Service
Reports to Toronto Police Services Board
Appointer Toronto Police Services Board
Constituting instrument Police Services Act
(R.S.O. 1990, c. P.15)
Inaugural holder William Higgins
Formation1834
Website tps.ca/chief

The chief of the Toronto Police Service is the professional head of the Toronto Police Service (TPS). Under the direction of the Toronto Police Services Board, the chief is responsible for the management and administration of the police service's operations.

Contents

Myron Demkiw is the current chief of police, having assumed office on December 19, 2022. [1]

Overview

Section 41 of the Police Services Act legally defines the role of police chiefs in Ontario. Under this law, the chief is responsible for administering the police force and overseeing its operation in accordance with the objectives, priorities and policies established by the board, ensuring that members of the police force carry out their duties in accordance with the Police Services Act in a manner that reflects the needs of the community, maintaining discipline in the police force, ensuring that the police force provides community-oriented police services, and administering the complaints system. [2] [3]

The Toronto Police Services Board recruits and dismisses the chief. Day-to-day policing and operational decisions of the Toronto Police Service are made by the chief, but must be consistent with the policies and objectives set by the Toronto Police Services Board. [4]

History

The position was known as "high constable" when the Toronto Police Department was formed [5] until 1859 and then as "chief constable" until 1957, when the Toronto Police Department was amalgamated with 12 other Toronto-area forces to form the Metropolitan Toronto Police. [6]

List of chiefs of police

High constables, chief constables and chiefs of police in Toronto [7]
AgencyTitleNameTenureNotesRef
Toronto Police Department

(1834–1956)

High Constable William Higgins 1834
George Kingsmill 1835
James Stitt 1836
George Kingsmill1837–1846
George Allen 1847–1852
Samuel Sherwood 1852–1858
Chief Constable William Stratton Prince 1859–1873
Frank C. Draper 1874–1886
H. J. Grasett 1886–1920Longest serving chief
Samuel Dickson 1920–1928
Dennis Draper 1928–1946
John Chisholm 1946–1956
Metropolitan Toronto Police

(1957–1998)

Chief of PoliceJohn Chisholm1957–1958
James Page Mackey 1958–1970 [8]
Harold Adamson 1970–1980 [9]
Jack Ackroyd 1980–1984 [10]
Jack Marks 1984–1989 [11]
William McCormack 1989–1995 [12]
Toronto Police Service

(1998–present)

David Boothby 1995–2000Last chief of the Metro Police; first chief of the Toronto Police Service [13]
Julian Fantino 2000–2005 [14]
Mike Boyd 2005Interim [15]
Bill Blair 2005–2015 [16]
Mark Saunders 2015–2020 [17]
James Ramer 2020–2022Interim [18]
Myron Demkiw 2022–present [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denzil Minnan-Wong</span> Canadian city councillor

Denzil Minnan-Wong is a former Canadian politician who was the statutory deputy mayor of Toronto from 2014 to 2022, representing North York. Minnan-Wong served on Toronto City Council from 1995 to 2022, representing a succession of wards in the Don Mills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Michael's Choir School</span> School in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

St. Michael's Choir School is a semi-private Catholic choir school for boys from grades 3-12 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Overseen by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto, the school provides a private music education in joint operation with the Toronto Catholic District School Board, which administers all other academic subjects, athletics programs, and extracurricular activities. The school is affiliated with the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music and is a member of the International Boys' Schools Coalition.

The Claude Watson School for the Arts (CWSA) is a public arts school for grades 4-8 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laval Police Service</span> Police service in Laval, Quebec, Canada

The Service de police de Laval is the municipal police force of the city of Laval, Quebec, north of Montreal. The service consists of approximately 800 officers and civilian employees.

John Wesley Ackroyd was a prominent Canadian Chief of Police and high level Ontario civil servant. He served as the chief of the Metro Toronto Police Force from 1980 to 1984. Known as an ideas man, and 'kind cop' he introduced community policing when he was the deputy chief. Though later, during his term as the chief, the biggest mass civilian arrest since the Second World War occurred in Toronto's Gay district. Following his retirement from the police force, he was head of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario from 1984 to 1990, where he modernized the retail operations and its marketing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Sapiano</span> Canadian defence lawyer (d. 2020)

Edward Sapiano was a Canadian defence lawyer, based in Toronto, Ontario, notable for his role in many high-profile criminal cases. He initiated Canada's largest criminal investigation of police, resulting in the arrest and prosecution of several Toronto police officers and was also involved in the so-called Toronto 18 terrorism trial. Edward Sapiano is also noted for demanding immediate DNA testing of his client shortly following the 1996 arrest of the suspected "North York serial rapist", leading to his client Jeremy Foster's full vindication, despite a false confession to the crime. In his quest to get illegal guns off the street, Sapiano also created the only lawyer-operated gun amnesty program available in North America, Piece Options. He is also known for starting a database of rulings and judgements to track alleged misconduct among Toronto-area officers which was then retrievable for cross-examinations in other cases by other lawyers. Edward Sapiano, after putting his practice on hold for two and a half years due to kidney failure, returned to court in 2017 for the Andrea White murder trial. Edward died on March 21, 2020, from complications of kidney disease and was cited to be the first lawyer in Canada to practise while undergoing 10 hours of daily dialysis. He was regularly featured by media outlets, including The Globe and Mail, CBC, and the New York Times commenting on criminal law issues.

Municipal elections in Richmond Hill, Ontario are held every four years, concurrent with other municipal elections in Ontario. Historically, elections were held more often. Elected positions include mayor, regional and local councillor and ward councillors on the Richmond Hill City Council, as well as trustees for the York Region District School Board, the York Catholic District School Board and for a Conseillere for the Conseil Scholare de District de Centre SudOuest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kristyn Wong-Tam</span> Canadian politician

Kristyn Wong-Tam is a Canadian politician who has represented Toronto Centre in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 2022 as a member of the Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP).

The Mowat Centre was an independent Canadian public policy think tank associated with the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto. It was established in 2009 with support from the government of Ontario, and published its first report in February 2010. It closed in June of 2019 after its funding agreement with the Government of Ontario was cancelled. It was named after Ontario's longest-serving Premier, Sir Oliver Mowat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killing of Sammy Yatim</span> Police shooting

The death of Sammy Yatim occurred early in the morning of July 27, 2013, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Yatim, an 18-year-old Toronto male armed with a switchblade knife, was shot at nine times, and was hit by eight of the shots fired by 30-year-old Toronto Police Service (TPS) officer James Forcillo. After being shot, while lying on the floor of the streetcar he was tasered. He later died from the injuries. The incident occurred after Yatim, brandishing a 12 cm (4.7 in) switchblade knife in a Toronto streetcar, advanced on a passenger, threatened other passengers, and exposed himself. The confrontation between Yatim and the police was recorded and footage of it was released publicly, prompting strong reactions across Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mushkegowuk—James Bay</span> Provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada

Mushkegowuk—James Bay is a provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada. It elects one member to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. This riding was created from the northern portion of Timmins—James Bay by the Far North Electoral Boundaries Commission in 2017. The Legislative Assembly of Ontario approved the new riding on October 24, 2017.

Beryl Potter was a British-born Canadian disability rights activist. She was involved in many disability rights organizations in Ontario including the Trans-Action Coalition, the Scarborough Recreation Club for Disabled Adults, the Ontario Action Awareness Association, and the Coalition on Employment Equity for Persons with Disabilities (CEEPD). Potter was a triple amputee and was blind in one eye as a result of complications due to a fall at work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Ramer</span>

Donald James Ramer is a Canadian police officer who served as interim chief of police with the Toronto Police Service (TPS) from August 1, 2020 to December 19, 2022.

<i>The Narwhal</i> Canadian environmental magazine

The Narwhal is a Canadian investigative online magazine that focuses on environmental issues.

Kevin Vuong is a Canadian politician who is the member of Parliament (MP) for Spadina—Fort York. Elected in the 2021 federal election, he sits as an Independent, having been dropped as a Liberal candidate days before the election.

Peter Wallace is a Canadian former public servant who was the secretary of the Treasury Board of Canada from 2018 to 2021. Prior to joining the Government of Canada, Wallace was the city manager for the City of Toronto from 2015 to 2018, and held senior roles in the Ontario provincial government including as secretary to the Cabinet.

Myron Demkiw is a Canadian police officer who has been the chief of police with the Toronto Police Service (TPS) since December 19, 2022.

References

  1. "Toronto names police chief: Deputy Chief Myron Demkiw will replace James Ramer". thestar.com. 2022-09-15. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  2. "Police Services Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P.15". Ontario.ca. 2014-07-24. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  3. "How do Ontario police forces operate and who commands them?". Toronto. 2022-02-15. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  4. "Toronto Police Services Board - Board Mandate". tpsb.ca. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  5. "An Introduction to the History of the Toronto Police Service". Toronto Police Service. Archived from the original on 2022-02-16. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  6. "History of Toronto Police". Toronto Police Service. Archived from the original on 2022-02-16. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  7. "Chiefs Through the Years". Toronto Police Service. Archived from the original on 2021-06-25. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  8. "Longest-serving Toronto police chief dies at age 95". CTV News Toronto. The Canadian Press. 2009-02-28. Retrieved 2024-03-14. James Page Mackey, who served as chief from 1958 to 1970,
  9. "Chief offered contract extension by police board". CTV News Toronto. ctvtoronto.ca. 2009-05-21. Retrieved 2024-03-14. If he serves until April 2015, Blair will be the longest-serving police chief since Harold Adamson, who held the position from 1970 to 1980.
  10. "John Wesley "Jack" Ackroyd - Prospect Cemetery, Section 8, Lot 401". Mount Pleasant Group. Retrieved 2024-03-14. Jack Ackroyd, former chief of police for Metropolitan Toronto (1980-1984), remembered for his leadership, commitment to openness and honesty, and significant contributions to police internal reorganisation.
  11. "Jack Marks Backgrounder" (PDF). Toronto Police Service. 2007-02-28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-11-04. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  12. D'Amore, Rachael; Herhalt, Chris (2016-09-08). "Former Toronto police chief Bill McCormack dies". CP24.com. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  13. Warmington, Joe (2017-05-10). "Crime Stoppers a remarkable resource for Toronto police". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  14. "Summary Of Julian Fantino's Career". Office of the Premier. Government of Ontario. 2005-02-08. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  15. "Ontario ombudsman names former police chiefs as advisors". The Toronto Star. 2013-11-05. ISSN   0319-0781 . Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  16. Gillis, Wendy (2015-04-17). "The legacy of Toronto police Chief Bill Blair". The Toronto Star. ISSN   0319-0781 . Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  17. James, Royson (2015-04-19). "Mark Saunders named Toronto's next police chief". The Toronto Star. ISSN   0319-0781 . Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  18. Ngabo, Gilbert (2021-08-06). "Toronto police board extends appointment of James Ramer as interim chief until the end of next year". The Toronto Star. ISSN   0319-0781 . Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  19. Casaletto, Lucas (2022-09-15). "Myron Demkiw appointed as new Toronto police chief". CityNews Toronto. Rogers Media. Retrieved 2024-03-14.