TTC Special Constable Services
| TTC Special Constable Services | |
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| Logo of the TTC Special Constable Services. | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | June 1, 1997 |
| Dissolved | February 1, 2011 |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Legal jurisdiction | Transit |
| General nature |
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| Operational structure | |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
The TTC Special Constable Services was the safety and security division of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) in Toronto, Canada from June 1, 1997 until February 1, 2011. They were responsible for safety and security and were authorized as "Special Constables" by several GTA Police Services Boards and carried similar policing powers as the Toronto Police Service.
Contents |
[edit] Organizational structure and mandate
The Constables patrolled within Toronto and areas beyond Toronto served by the TTC.
[edit] Former ranks
- Constable
- Sergeant
- Staff Sergeant
- Superintendent
- Deputy Chief
- Chief
Constables had three designations:
- Subway Patrol
- Mobile Patrol
- Criminal Investigations.
[edit] Jurisdiction
Pursuant to Section 53 of the Police Services Act of Ontario. These peace officers had similar powers as Police Officers and were sworn in by the TTC and these police forces:
At the height of the program a contingent of over 102 Special Constables patrolled TTC properties and they were able to enforce[1]:
- 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 were also authorized to issue fines to persons in violation of TTC By-Law 1.
[edit] Deployment
The Mobile Patrol Division members were the visible presence on TTC vehicles while the Subway Patrol division members were the visible presence in the subway system. They wore uniforms distinct from the standard TTC or Toronto Police uniforms; consisting of a black jacket and powder blue shirt with a special constables crest on both shoulders and black cargo pants. They were armed with batons and OC Foam (pepper spray - in a less aerosol form to avoid contamination in confined places), body armour and carried portable radios.[2]
Some officers patrolled the subway system on foot, while others drove in marked and/or unmarked vehicles responding to calls on both surface routes and in the subway.
[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 had added security guards to provide in-house security relating to property offenses.
[edit] Cancellation of the program
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 on how to proceed took place for over a year before the Police Services Board decided to wind down the organization.
One of the main objections that led 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 a 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,"[3]
On October 21, 2010 the Toronto Police Services Board voted in favor of the cancellation of the Special Constable program effective February 1, 2011. At the same time the Board approved the expansion of the Toronto Police Transit Patrol Unit. It is expected that the existing Special Constables will become bylaw enforcement officers, tasked primarily with fare evasion and by-law offenses.[4]
[edit] Status
The former Special Constables are now referred to as "Transit Enforcement Officers" and are working in uniforms and plain clothes enforcing the Criminal Code of Canada, pursuant to Section 494 (commonly referred to as Citizen's arrest powers, as well as By-Law #1 and the Trespass to Property Act of Ontario. The new Transit Enforcement uniforms are identical to the Special Constable uniforms except they say "Transit Enforcement Unit" instead of "Special Constable Service".
[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] Fleet
- Ford Police Interceptor - Previously marked, however all have been converted to unmarked operation.
- Various unmarked vehicles for undercover and surveillance operations
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ 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.
- ^ Lakey, Jack (2008-03-08). "Police to control TTC constables". Toronto Star. http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/326437. Retrieved 2008-09-14.
- ^ Kalinowski, Tess (October 21, 2010). "TTC constables overstepped authority, police board alleges". The Star (Toronto). http://www.thestar.com/news/transportation/article/879465--ttc-constables-overstepped-authority-police-board-alleges.
- ^ (PDF) TTC Special Constable Services 2008 Annual Report. Toronto Transit Commission. pp. 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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