TTC Special Constable Services
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| TTC Special Constable Services |
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| Jurisdiction | Transit |
| Sworn | 102[1] |
| Chief | Terry Andrews |
| Website | http://www.ttc.ca/ |
The TTC Special Constable Services is the safety and security division of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) in Toronto, Ontario. They are responsible for safety and security and are authorized as "Special Contables" by several GTA Police Services Boards.
Recruits must undergo 11 weeks of in class training and are partnered with a Coach Officer for six months after their graduation. Coach Officers are graduates of the Ontario Police College - Coach Officer Program or the TTC's in-house Coaching Course.
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[edit] Organizational structure and mandate
The Constables patrol within Toronto and areas beyond Toronto served by the TTC.
[edit] Ranks
- Constable
- Sergeant
- Staff Sergeant
- Superintendent
- Deputy Chief
- Chief
Constables have three designations:
- Subway Patrol
- Mobile Patrol
- Criminal Investigations.
[edit] Jurisdiction
Pursuant to Section 53 of the Police Services Act of Ontario. These peace officers have similar powers as Police Officers and are sworn in by the TTC and these police forces:
A contingent of over 102 Special Constables patrol TTC properties and they enforce[2]:
- Criminal Code of Canada
- Controlled Drugs and Substances Act
- Trespass to Property Act of Ontario
- Liquor Licence Act
- Section 17 of the Mental Health Act of Ontario.
In addition, they can also issue fines to persons in violation of TTC By-Law 1.
[edit] Deployment
Subway and Mobile Patrol Division members are a visible presence on TTC vehicles and the subway system. They wear uniforms distinct from the standard TTC or Toronto Police uniforms. This consists of a black jacket and powder blue shirt with a special constables crest on both shoulders and black cargo pants. They are armed with batons and pepper spray, wear body armour and carry two-way radios.[3]
Most officers will patrol the system on foot, while others will ride in marked and/or unmarked vehicles like the Ford Crown Victoria (blue stripes with crest), similar to the ones used by the Toronto Police Service.
[edit] History
Before the creation of the TTC Special Constables, security on the Toronto Transit Commission was limited to random patrols by Toronto Police officers, but the Commission added security officers to provide in-house policing.
[edit] Future of the Special Constables
On 18 June, 2009 the Toronto Police Services board voted unanimously to take control of the TTC Special Constables. Negotiations between the Toronto Police Service and the TTC are currently under way to come up with a new organizational structure, dispatch system and protocol for the hand off of responsibility.
One of the main objections that lead to this decision was the fact that constables are not armed and anytime there is a situation with a firearm involved they are not equipped to respond and must wait for police. There were also concerns regarding the constables overstepping their jurisdiction when it came to criminal investigations and lack of civilian oversight.
In a newspaper interview Alok Mukherjee the Chair of the Police services board was quoted as saying "We were creating more than one public police (force) paid by the public taxpayer, without the oversight, without the accountability, without the monitoring," going on to say "The core business of the TTC is to run the transit system and the core business of the Toronto Police Service is to provide policing. So I think it was a rational decision,"[4]
[edit] Policing issues
[edit] Crime statistics
According to the 2008 Annual report to the Transit Commission the special constables were involved in 1215 arrests, and laid approximately 450 charges during the calendar year ending 31 December 2008. During that period over 6000 occurrence reports were filed regarding incidents that did not involve arrests or charges. [5]
[edit] Counterfeiting operations, 2006
The TTC Special Constables, working with the Peel Regional Police, broke up a Metropass counterfeiting shop in December 2006. Peel Police and TTC Special Constables executed a search warrant on December 20, 2006, in Peel Region. The investigation into the scope of the alleged crimes is ongoing.
In May 2006, high-quality forged Adult and Senior/Student Metropasses began circulating throughout the city. The forgeries could not be successfully swiped at turnstiles but they were almost indistinguishable from authentic Metropasses on visual verification. More than 120 people were charged with selling and using the forged Metropasses. The public was warned to only buy Metropasses from authorized sources but still the forged passes continued to circulate.
After the warning, TTC Special Constables continued to investigate, concentrating their efforts on dismantling the distribution network and tracking down the production facility. On December 20, 2006, the TTC obtained a search warrant for a residence in Mississauga. Peel Regional Police assisted with the execution of the search warrant, uncovering a significant credit card forgery lab that was also producing TTC Metropasses, Ontario Driver's Licences and Social Insurance Cards. One male was arrested at that time and has been charged with eight criminal offences so far.
[edit] Security equipment
For safety and security purposes, the TTC has already installed numerous surveillance cameras at subway stations, and continues to roll out more. As of mid 2008 all surface vehicles (Buses and Streetcars) have been equipped with cameras and the new trains that will be introduced in 2009 will be outfitted with a new video surveillance system.
[edit] Fleet
- Ford Police Interceptor - marked and unmarked versions
- Various unmarked vehicles for undercover and surveillance operations
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ (PDF) TTC Special Constable Services 2008 Annual Report. Toronto Transit Commission. p. 15. http://www.ttc.ca/postings/gso-comrpt/documents/report/f3886/2008_Special_Constables_TPS_Annual_Report.pdf. Retrieved 2009-09-14.
- ^ http://www3.ttc.ca/Riding_the_TTC/Safety_and_Security/Special_Constable_Services.jsp
- ^ (PDF) TTC Special Constable Services 2008 Annual Report. Toronto Transit Commission. p. 17. http://www.ttc.ca/postings/gso-comrpt/documents/report/f3886/2008_Special_Constables_TPS_Annual_Report.pdf. Retrieved 2009-09-14.
- ^ "Police to control TTC constables". Toronto Star. 2009. http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/326437. Retrieved 2008-09-14.
- ^ (PDF) TTC Special Constable Services 2008 Annual Report. Toronto Transit Commission. p. 18-19. http://www.ttc.ca/postings/gso-comrpt/documents/report/f3886/2008_Special_Constables_TPS_Annual_Report.pdf. Retrieved 2009-09-14.
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