Peter Sloly

Last updated

Peter Sloly
OOM
Peter Sloly (cropped).jpg
Sloly in 2011
Chief of the Ottawa Police Service
In office
28 October 2019 –15 February 2022
Profession
  • Police officer
  • consultant
  • soccer player
Police career
Department
Service years1988–2016; 2019–2022
Rank Chief of Police
Association football career
Position(s) Defender
College career
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
McMaster Marauders
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1986 Toronto Blizzard
1987 North York Rockets 19 (0)
International career
1984–1985 Canada U20 18 (0)
1984 Canada 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Peter John Michael Sloly OOM (born 5 August 1966) is a Canadian former police officer who served as the chief of police for the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) from 2019 to 2022. Before joining the OPS, Sloly was a member of the Toronto Police Service (TPS) for 27 years, including as a deputy chief of police from 2009 to 2016.

Contents

Prior to his police career, Sloly played soccer professionally, and made an appearance for the Canada men's national team in a 1984 friendly against Egypt.

Early, personal life and education

Sloly was born in Kingston, Jamaica and moved to Scarborough at the age of ten. [2] He has a wife and two children, a daughter and son. [3] [2]

He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from McMaster University in 1989 and a Master of Business Administration from York University's Schulich School of Business in 2004. [4] [5] Sloly also earned a Criminal Justice Certificate from the University of Virginia, an Incident Command System Certification from the Justice Institute of British Columbia, the Major City Chief's Police Executive Development Program, University of Toronto's Rotman Police Executive Leadership Program and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy. [3]

Soccer career

He is also a former soccer player who earned one cap for the Canadian national side against Egypt in a friendly match on 2 November 1984. [6] He also played with the Canada men's national under-20 soccer team in the 1985 FIFA World Youth Championship. [7] In 1986, he played in the National Soccer League with Toronto Blizzard. [8] In 1987, he played for North York Rockets in the Canadian Soccer League. [9]

In 2011, he was the recipient of the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame's Brian Budd Award for leadership on and off the field. [10]

Police career

Toronto Police Service

After retiring as a soccer player, Sloly joined the Toronto Police Service in 1988, [11] where he served for 27 years. [12] In 2001 and 2002, Sloly served two tours in the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) as a Command Staff Officer and the Canadian Contingent Commander. [13] [14]

He was named deputy chief for Divisional Policing Command and Operational Support Command on 22 September 2009. At age 43, he was the youngest deputy chief in the history of the Toronto Police Service. [4] [5] [15]

In 2015, he was a candidate to succeed outgoing police chief Bill Blair, but was passed over in favour of Mark Saunders, who was seen as more popular with members of the service. [16] [17] [13]

In January 2016, Sloly gave a speech criticizing the size of the police budget as excessive, in which he said: "Until policing stops being focused and driven on that reactive enforcement model, it will continue to be exponentially costly." His comments were criticized by the Toronto Police Association, who also filed a formal complaint, and were viewed as a criticism of Chief Saunders. [18] [13]

On 10 February 2016 it was announced that Sloly had resigned as deputy chief and that he had approached the Toronto Police Services Board several months prior with a request that he be released from his contract, which was to have ended in December 2017. [15] [19] The head of the Toronto Police Association celebrated Sloly's departure. During his time in Toronto, Sloly developed a reputation as a progressive reformer reluctant to use harsher policing tactics. [13]

Consulting

On 28 April 2016 Sloly was hired by Deloitte Canada to serve as a consultant handling risk and forensic practices projects. [20]

Ottawa Police Service

In August 2019, it was announced that he would become Chief of the Ottawa Police Service, effective 28 October 2019. [21]

A video emerged of an Ottawa police officer pulling over a Black man and accusing him of having expired plates in September 2020, resulting in public criticism of the Ottawa Police Service. The man filmed the encounter, including when he and the officer went over to the licence plate, revealing that it was in fact valid. The man accused the officer of racism, and both the officer and the Ottawa Police Service apologized. In response, Sloly directed every member of the Ottawa police to complete trainings on conscious and unconscious bias, anti-Black racism and racial profiling. [13]

In June 2021, Sloly, in a personal capacity, sought $150,000 in damages from Ottawa Life Magazine for alleged defamation over a story in the publication's 10 March 2021 edition, which criticized his handling of misogyny within the force after women came forward with sexual harassment and sexual assault claims after a Deputy Chief was internally charged with harassment. It alleged that Sloly planned to only reveal the names of officers found guilty of misconduct against women in the force if their actions also impacted women outside the force. Sloly denied the allegations as false and malicious, and said that if he won his lawsuit, he would donate the earnings to the local Boys and Girls Club. In August 2021, Ottawa Life Magazine's lawyer, Mark Bourrie, said that the magazine would seek to have the suit dismissed under Ontario's strategic lawsuit against public participation law. [22]

In 2022, the OPS and Sloly faced criticism for their handling of the Canada convoy protest, where thousands of protestors occupied much of downtown Ottawa, resulting in the desecration of monuments, [23] [24] street and business closures, [25] as well as intimidation and harassment of residents. [26] [27]

Sloly resigned on 15 February 2022, [12] following weeks of criticism for his handling of the protests. [28] His OPS contract was due to end in 2024, and he was paid the remainder of contract in full. [29] [30] Sloly has been described as a scapegoat for the situation, by Ottawa Councillor Catherine McKenney, noting various key city staff that did not offer support during the occupation. [31]

Honours

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Tory</span> Mayor of Toronto from 2014 to 2023

John Howard Tory is a Canadian broadcaster, businessman, and former politician who served as the 65th mayor of Toronto from 2014 to 2023. He served as leader of the Official Opposition in Ontario from 2005 to 2007 while he was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario from 2004 to 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julian Fantino</span> Canadian politician

Julian Fantino,, is a Canadian retired police official and former politician. He was the Conservative Party of Canada Member of the Parliament of Canada for the riding of Vaughan following a November 29, 2010 by-election, until his defeat in 2015. On January 4, 2011, Fantino was named Minister of State for Seniors; on May 18, 2011, he became Associate Minister of National Defence; on July 4, 2012, he was named Minister for International Cooperation. Fantino served as the Minister of Veterans Affairs from 2013 until 2015, when he was demoted to his earlier post of Associate Minister of National Defence following sustained criticism of his performance at Veterans Affairs. He was defeated by Liberal candidate Francesco Sorbara in the 2015 election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philadelphia Police Department</span> Police agency in Philadelphia, US

The Philadelphia Police Department is the police agency responsible for law enforcement and investigations within the County and City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The PPD is one of the oldest municipal police agencies, fourth-largest police force and sixth-largest non-federal law enforcement agency in the United States. Since records were first kept in 1828, at least 289 PPD officers have died in the line of duty.

Eli El-Chantiry is a former Canadian politician. He was an Ottawa City Councillor from 2003 to 2022 and served as chair of the Ottawa Police Services Board.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Blair (politician)</span> Canadian politician (born 1954)

William Sterling Blair is a Canadian politician and former police officer who has served as the minister of National Defence since 2023. A member of the Liberal Party, Blair represents Scarborough Southwest in the House of Commons. Blair previously held the portfolios of Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction and minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. Before entering politics, Blair worked for four decades with the Toronto Police Service (TPS), serving as the chief of police from 2005 until retiring in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto Police Service</span> Police agency of Toronto, Canada

The Toronto Police Service (TPS) is a municipal police force in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and the primary agency responsible for providing law enforcement and policing services in Toronto. Established in 1834, it was the first local police service created in North America and is one of the oldest police services in the English-speaking world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ottawa Police Service</span> Police agency of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

The Ottawa Police Service is the municipal police service of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, as well as most of the Ontario side of the National Capital Region. The OPS employs 1,480 officers and 620 staff as of 2022, and serves an area of 2,790 square kilometres and 1,017,449 people, alongside several other police forces which have specialized jurisdiction. Formally established in 1855, the OPS gradually absorbed the police forces of other neighbouring municipalities as Ottawa itself expanded, and experienced multiple mergers and reforms in the process; the current OPS was established in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup</span> 16th FIFA U-20 World Cup, held in Canada in 2007

The 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the 16th edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, hosted by Canada from 30 June to 22 July 2007. Argentina defeated the Czech Republic in the title game by the score of 2–1, thus managing a back-to-back world title, its fifth in the past seven editions, and sixth overall. Argentine player Sergio Agüero was given the FIFA U-20 Golden Shoe and the FIFA U-20 Golden Ball, while Japan earned the FIFA Fair Play Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vernon White (politician)</span> Canadian senator

Vernon Darryl White is a Canadian former senator and former chief of the Ottawa Police Service.

Mark Bourrie is a Canadian lawyer, author, and journalist. He has worked as a contract lecturer at Carleton University and the University of Ottawa. In 2020, his biography of Pierre-Esprit Radisson, Bush Runner: The Adventures of Pierre-Esprit Radisson, won the RBC Taylor Prize for literary non-fiction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 G20 Toronto summit protests</span>

Public protesting and demonstrations began one week ahead of the 2010 G20 Toronto summit, which took place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on 26−27 June. The protests were for various causes, including poverty and anti-capitalism.

Charles J. Bordeleau is a retired Canadian police officer who served as the chief of police of the Ottawa Police Service from March 2012 until May 2019. Prior to this, he served as the city's deputy chief of police.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Saunders (police officer)</span> Canadian police chief (born 1962)

Mark Saunders is a Canadian politician and retired police officer who served as chief of police with the Toronto Police Service (TPS) from 2015 to 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marco Mendicino</span> Canadian politician (born 1973)

Marco Mendicino is a Canadian politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Eglinton—Lawrence in the House of Commons since 2015. He served as the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship from 2019 to 2021 and the Minister of Public Safety from 2021 to 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Manning (police officer, born 1973)</span>

Paul Manning, also known by the pseudonyms Paul Wright and the Englishman, is a former Hamilton Police Service officer, Metropolitan Police Service officer and Royal Military Police officer (UK) who worked undercover in an Ontario Provincial Police and Hamilton Police Service joint task force for 18 months, successfully infiltrating the Musitano crime family, Papalia crime family and the Hamilton chapter of Hells Angels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wayne Eyre</span> Canadian general officer

General Wayne Donald Eyre, is a Canadian Forces officer serving as the chief of the Defence Staff (CDS). Eyre was named acting CDS on February 24, 2021, and appointed to the full position on November 25, 2021. He was also the commander of the Canadian Army and chief of the Army Staff.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canada convoy protest</span> 2022 protest against COVID-19 mandates

A series of protests and blockades in Canada against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and restrictions, called the Freedom Convoy by organizers, began in early 2022. The initial convoy movement was created to protest vaccine mandates for crossing the United States border, but later evolved into a protest about COVID-19 mandates in general. Beginning January 22, hundreds of vehicles formed convoys from several points and traversed Canadian provinces before converging on Ottawa on January 29, 2022, with a rally at Parliament Hill. The convoys were joined by thousands of pedestrian protesters. Several offshoot protests blockaded provincial capitals and border crossings with the United States.

The following article is a broad timeline of the course of events surrounding the Canada convoy protest, a series of protests and blockades in Canada in early 2022. The protest, which was called the Freedom Convoy by organizers, was "first aimed at a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers" when the convoy of hundreds of vehicles, including semi-trailers, headed towards Ottawa, Ontario the nation's capital, starting on January 22. The protesters quickly changed their messaging to include demands that all COVID-19-related public health restrictions be lifted.

The Public Order Emergency Commission, also known as the Rouleau inquiry or the Inquiry into Emergencies Act was a public inquiry in Canada that investigated the invoking of the Emergencies Act on February 14, 2022, by the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the Canada convoy protests. It was the first time the Emergencies Act had been invoked and it remained in place from February 14–23, 2022, the POEC investigated the rationale for invoking the Emergencies Act and the measures taken for dealing with the emergency". The inquiry was led by commissioner Justice Paul Rouleau, who was appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on April 25, 2022. Justice Rouleau had a surgical intervention which delayed the inquiry from September 19, 2022, to mid-October. The inquiry is independent of the parliamentary review committee.

References

  1. ↑ "Ex-Ottawa police chief Peter Sloly testifies at Emergencies Act inquiry". Youtube. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 Malcolm Johnston (26 January 2015). "Deputy police chief Peter Sloly on running to succeed Bill Blair, and the first item on his agenda if he does: race". Toronto Life . Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Command Officers' biographies • Peter Sloly, Deputy Chief, Operational Support Command". Toronto Police Service. Archived from the original on 23 May 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2009.
  4. 1 2 "Toronto chef, deputy police chief honoured with new alumni award – Daily News". McMaster University . Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  5. 1 2 "York grad set to become newest Toronto deputy police chief". York University yFile. 18 September 2009. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  6. ↑ "Canada Soccer". www.canadasoccer.com. 21 November 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  7. ↑ "Canada Soccer". www.canadasoccer.com. 21 November 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  8. ↑ Waddell, Dave (14 October 1986). "It was just one bad day for the Lancers". Newspapers.com. The Windsor Star. p. 18. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  9. ↑ "Rosters". NASL Jerseys. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  10. ↑ "Sloly wins Brian Budd Award". Canada Soccer. 12 May 2011. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  11. ↑ "Deputy police chief Peter Sloly on running to succeed Bill Blair, and the first item on his agenda: race". Toronto Life. 26 January 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  12. 1 2 "Peter Sloly resigns as Ottawa's police chief". CBC News. Ottawa ON. 15 February 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 Carbert, Michelle (12 February 2022). "For Ottawa's Chief Peter Sloly, police response to protests pits his progressive views against a complicated threat". The Globe and Mail . Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  14. ↑ Getachew, Samuel (22 April 2013). ""The Skinny Immigrant Kid" Who Became Toronto's Deputy Police Chief". Huffington Post Canada . Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  15. 1 2 "Toronto deputy police chief resigns in wake of speech". Globe and Mail. 10 February 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  16. ↑ Royson James (19 April 2015). "Mark Saunders named Toronto's next police chief". Toronto Star . Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  17. ↑ Betsy Powell; Jennifer Pagliaro (27 March 2015). "Two deputies in spotlight in search for a diverse police chief". Toronto Star . Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  18. ↑ "Deputy chief Peter Sloly slams bloated police budget". Toronto Star. 10 February 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  19. ↑ "Peter Sloly resigns as deputy Toronto Police chief after bombshell interview". Toronto Star. 10 February 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  20. ↑ "Ex-deputy police chief Peter Sloly's move to Deloitte 'a loss for policing' councillor says | The Star". thestar.com. 28 April 2016.
  21. ↑ "Peter Sloly named Ottawa's new police chief". cbc.ca.
  22. ↑ Dimmock, Gary (3 August 2021). "Ottawa Life Magazine stands by its scathing portrait of Ottawa police: court filings". Ottawa Citizen . Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  23. ↑ Pringle, Josh (29 January 2022). "Top Canadian defence officials condemn protesters dancing on Tomb of the Unknown Soldier". CTV News. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  24. ↑ Gallant, Jacques (29 January 2022). "Terry Fox statue used in 'stunt' in Ottawa, sparking condemnation". Toronto Star. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  25. ↑ Gadzo, Mersiha (12 February 2022). "Latest Canada updates: Police clear protesters occupying bridge". www.aljazeera.com.
  26. ↑ Paas-Lang, Christian (6 February 2022). "Ottawa declares state of emergency as police boost enforcement, target protest's fuel supply". CBC News. Toronto ON. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  27. ↑ "Ottawa declares state of emergency amid trucker convoy protest". Global News. Toronto ON. The Canadian Press. 6 February 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  28. ↑ "Ottawa police chief resigns amid anti-mandate protests". BBC News. 16 February 2022. p. 1. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  29. ↑ Woods, Michael (15 February 2022). "Ottawa police chief Peter Sloly resigns amid trucker protests". ctvnews.ca. Archived from the original on 15 February 2022.
  30. ↑ Woods, Michael; Richardson, Graham (16 February 2022). "Ottawa police board hired new chief without competition: sources". ctvnews.ca. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022.
  31. ↑ Pringle, Josh (16 February 2022). "Ottawa police board chair ousted in dramatic city council meeting". CTV News Ottawa. Ottawa ON: BellMedia. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  32. 1 2 3 "The Governor General of Canada > Honours > Find a Recipient > Peter Sloly". Governor General of Canada . Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  33. ↑ "Canada Soccer Profile". Canada Soccer. 11 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.