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Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders is stepping down source: https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/toronto-police-chief-mark-saunders-is-stepping-down-1.4974664 TORONTO -- Mark Saunders is stepping down from his role as the chief of the Toronto Police Service. Saunders, who has held the top title at the service since April 2015, will mark his last day in the role on July 31. “Here I am after serving 37 plus years of what I believe to be the greatest law enforcement agency in the world. I’ve watched this organization grow, learn, listen and serve the greatest, fourth-largest city in the continent and the most diverse city in the world,” Saunders said at a news conference held at Toronto Police Headquarters on Monday afternoon. “I look forward to being a full-time dad and a full-time husband that’s not an exhausted by-product who walks through the door at the end of the day.” n August 2019, following Toronto’s most deadly year ever, which included two shocking incidents, the North York van attack and a mass shooting on the Danforth, Saunders’ contract as chief of the service was extended until April 30, 2021. That was the second time in the past 40 years that the service’s chief would serve more than a single term. Prior to being named the first-ever Black chief, Saunders worked in several units of the Toronto Police Service, including homicide, professional standards and emergency task force. While announcing his resignation and admitting that not everything about his tenure was perfect, Saunders thanked his family, fellow members of the service, the media, and the people of Toronto for their continued support. “I want to thank the citizens and communities of Toronto for their partnerships you’ve created for us in keeping Toronto safe,” he said. “You’re responsible for solving most of the cases that were presented in the city, you’re responsible for working us through the good, the bad, the indifferent.” “You’re the ones who came to the table to keep us in-check whenever it was necessary.” When asked why he was leaving his position now, he stated that he wasn’t going to leave until he had “satisfied the men and women of the organization.” “As chief, the expiry date is when you retire, when your contract is up, or it’s when you finish a project or a mission,” Saunders said, adding that he believes the service is “in a safe spot.” “As a dad, as Mark Saunders, I can pick any time, but in my 37 plus years, I’ve never had an August off and this will be the first time that I will have an August off with my family and I’m not sure what to do with it yet, but I’m looking forward to it.” ‘I wanted one project’: Body-worn cameras coming to TPS Last week, Saunders said George Floyd’s life being taken at the hands of a white police officer in Minneapolis spoke to the value of why members of the Toronto Police Service need to be equipped with body-worn cameras. Body-worn cameras have been absent on the vests of police officers in Toronto for several years now. A pilot project that saw 100 front-line officers be equipped with the cameras for 11 months ended in April 2016. This past weekend, in the wake of Floyd’s death, thousands of protestors participated in anti-Black racism rallies in downtown Toronto, and across the world. Saunders joined protestors near Yonge and College streets on Friday and took a knee. Saunders said that he previously thought he would finish the year off as police chief, but after the weekend protests he received many calls for him to “go another five years,” and he said he “had to put it to a stop.” In putting a stop to it, Saunders made his announcement on Monday and noted that his “one project” of officers being equipped with body-worn cameras will hopefully be fulfilled by July. “I wanted one project and by all accounts I think we might have an opportunity to fulfill that and I’ll tell you, I’ll be the happiest chief in the world if that does happen in July but there are a whole host of reasons and at the end of the day, it’s a whole bunch of things but it’s going to be good to be a dad.” Earlier on Monday, Toronto Mayor John Tory said some officers could begin wearing body cameras as early as this summer. He said the matter will likely be discussed at next month’s Toronto Police Services Board meeting. Saunders on his proudest moment When asked for his greatest achievement as police chief and his biggest regret, Saunders touted his work on the service’s transformational taskforce. “I can’t think of any regrets, everything has become an opportunity, but I will say that the one thing that I thought was great was the transformational taskforce,” he said. “If you go back to when it started and what the concept of the transformational taskforce, it was giving the community equal ownership of what the Toronto Police Service should look like, no one has ever done that before.” He added that it was also one of his “most uncomfortable moments.” “Half of my best players and half of the community, different lenses, different colours, different mindsets and we built from a blank page. That has never been done before but now you fast forward to today, look at where we’re at, this is exactly where we are, this is what the community is demanding.” What’s next for Saunders? After taking some time off to spend quality time with his family, Saunders said he plans to continue working for the city of Toronto for free on issues close to his heart. “When I say retired, doesn’t mean that I’m done,” he said. “There are things that I want to do for the city of Toronto for free. I think I come with a lot of knowledge that can help in keeping the city safe.” “I see a lot of young black boys getting killed by young black boys and law enforcement deals with those symptoms and I want to help the cure for the disease and I think I have a ton of knowledge that can help keep governments in-check and do the right thing to make sure that we get it right.” Saunders underwent a kidney transplant in 2017. He said his health was not a factor in this decision. ‘Has always worked to protect the city’ In the wake of his resignation announcement, Toronto Mayor John Tory and Ontario Premier Doug Ford thanked Saunders for his hard work and offered him well-wishes in the future. “On behalf of all Toronto residents, I want to thank Chief Saunders for his exemplary service,” Tory said. “He has led the women and men of the Toronto Police Service for the last five years – working to modernize the service and establishing community-focusing policing.” “I wish him all the best in his retirement from the Toronto Police Service. We will continue to see the benefits of his pioneering work on modernization and culture change for years to come.” Ford called Saunders a “tremendous leader and a true champion for the Toronto community.” “I want to give a big thank you to Saunders for his service,” the premier said. “Together we took on many challenges and I want to thank him for his partnership and friendship.” “I wish him the best.”

source: https://globalnews.ca/news/6695624/york-regional-police-new-chief/ Deputy Chief James MacSween, a 30-year veteran of York Regional Police, is set to become the head of the force on May 1. “I want to thank the York Regional Police Services Board for having the trust and confidence in choosing me as the next chief of police, and for their ongoing support to our organization,” MacSween said in a news release. He has worked with various parts of the force, holds a bachelor of applied arts degree in justice studies from the University of Guelph, and graduated from the police leadership program at the Rotman School of Management, as well as a program at the Senior Management Institute for Police, the news release said. MacSween also volunteers at community organizations like Special Olympics Ontario. He is the vice chair of the board of directors for St. John Ambulance. MacSween is replacing Chief Eric Jolliffe who is retiring on April 30 after 40 years in policing and 10 years as chief.

Was talking to the officer who was in charge of rebuilding the Sault Ste. Marie Police website this summer (Cst. Lincoln Louttit).... we were discussing the history of the department and one of the web pages they've created on their site is of former police chiefs..... here's the website link... if you can dig into your archives and find a photo of anyone whose picture is missing... you can post it here and I'll forward it to him. Thanks for helping. https://saultpolice.ca/who-we-are/our-headquarters/

I had a request from RIck Schoffield of the Scarborough Historical Society to identify the Police Chiefs of the defunct Scarborough force. Does anyone have this history? The Scarborough Historical Society promotes, preserves and stimulates an interest in the history of Scarborough, Ontario. The SHS has grown to be one of the largest and most active historical societies in Canada since its founding in 1956. We collect and share the history of Scarborough from its earliest recorded history to the experiences of our newest residents.

Sault Ste. Marie Police Services Board names new chief Sault Ste. Marie News Brief June 13, 2018 The Sault Ste. Marie Police Services Board is pleased to announced the hiring of Hugh Stevenson as the next chief of the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service (SSMPS).Chief Designate Stevenson is an experienced policing veteran with more than 31 years of service with the Peel Regional Police Service and the Ontario Provincial Police. His career began with Peel Regional Police in 1987, where he performed a variety of duties including street patrol and investigative duties. In 1994, he joined the OPP as a constable.Chief Designate Stevenson achieved his Commission in the OPP as First Nations negotiator and served as the deputy director of the OPP Intelligence Bureau. Most recently, he served as director of the Criminal Intelligence Service of Ontario, where he was responsible for the operation of the Provincial Bureau, Intelligence Analytics, Criminal Intelligence Service Ontario funded Joint Force Operations and Intelligence Undercover training.Chief Designate Stevenson has a Bachelor of Arts Honors degree in Criminology from Carleton University, with a double major in Law and Psychology. He went on to complete a Master of Arts degree and a Doctorate of Education at the University of Toronto. In addition to his policing experience, Chief Designate Stevenson has held several instructor positions at post-secondary institutions in Ontario."I am absolutely humbled and excited to be chosen as the next chief of police for the SSMPS," said Chief Designate Stevenson. "The SSMPS will continue to promote personal safety and public safety through enforcement, prevention, education, and community engagement."Chief Designate Stevenson will replace outgoing Chief Robert Keetch. The SSMPS Board wishes to thank Chief Keetch for his service and wishes him all the best."We are excited to have Hugh Stevenson join the SSMPS as the next chief of police," said Donna Hilsinger, SSMPS Board Chair. "We feel Hugh's extensive education and experience will bring great leadership to our Service and for our community.""I want to welcome Chief Designate Stevenson to our community and our police service," said Mayor Provenzano. "He brings a tremendous amount of experience and expertise, and I am confident that his leadership will be beneficial to our service."Chief Designate Stevenson will assume his duties as chief of police on June 15 and he will be formally sworn in as chief on June 25 immediately prior to the City Council meeting.

Many thanks to Henry Gacparski for hosting the Waterloo show this weekend. Be sure to check out a few of the photos from the show by clicking on the link below: 2018 Waterloo Show Photos on Facebook

Many thanks to Bob and Dorothy Pyefinch for all the hard work organizing the Ottawa National Police and Peace Officer's Memorial Insignia Show again this year. The turnout was fantastic and everyone had a great time. You can find a few photos of the show on our Facebook forum... https://www.facebook.com/pg/CanadianPoliceInsigniaCollectorsAssociation/photos/?tab=album&album_id=2193516470883050