Toronto Police Services Board

The Toronto Police Services Board (TPSB) is the civilian police board that governs the Toronto Police Service (TPS). The board is responsible for approving the annual police budget, defining objectives and policies for TPS, and hiring Toronto's police chief.

Toronto Police Services Board
AbbreviationTPSB
PredecessorMetropolitan Toronto Police Services Board
FormationJanuary 1, 1998 (1998-01-01)
TypePolice board
Headquarters40 College Street
Toronto, Ontario
Chair
Jim Hart
Budget
CA$1.076 billion (approved police operating budget, 2020)
Staff
Toronto Police Service
Websitewww.tpsb.ca

The role of police services boards are outlined in section 31 of the provincial Police Services Act. The board makes decisions governing the structure and environment of the police service, but the chief of police leads the day-to-day operation of the police. Neither the board or its members can direct members of the police service. Only the chief of police, who is responsible to the board as a whole, receives direction on objectives, policies and priorities.[1][2]

Membership of the board includes the mayor of Toronto (or a designate), two city councillors, one civilian member appointed by city council and three civilian members appointed by the province.

The board is administrative in nature and it does not investigate police conduct or complaints, as is the mandate of the Special Investigations Unit, Ontario Civilian Police Commission or Office of the Independent Police Review Director, which are oversight agencies.

Membership

The board comprises seven members, three appointed by the Province of Ontario and four by the City of Toronto. Three civilian members are appointed by the province and one by the city; two city councillors and the mayor of Toronto as the head of council sit on the board. A chair (presently Jim Hart) and vice-chair are elected from its membership. The Police Services Act requires the board to meet at least four times a year.[3]

The Police Services Act also stipulates that a judge, justice of the peace, police officer, or a person who practices criminal law as a defence counsel may not be a member of a police board.

As of June 2020, the board members are:[4]

NamePositionAppointed byJoined board
Jim HartChairToronto City CouncilSeptember 30, 2019
Marie MolinerVice-chairProvinceMarch 27, 2012
John ToryHead of municipal council (mayor)ex officioDecember 2, 2014
Uppala ChandrasekeraMemberProvinceSeptember 13, 2017
Michael FordCouncillorToronto City CouncilDecember 4, 2018
Frances NunziataCouncillorToronto City CouncilJune 29, 2018
Ainsworth M. MorganMemberProvinceJanuary 9, 2020

History

Prior to amalgamation, the Metropolitan Toronto Police were governed by the Metropolitan Toronto Police Services Board from 1990 until 1998. Previously, it was called the Metropolitan Toronto Police Commission (or Board of Police Commission) from 1955 until 1990, when the name of the board was changed as a result of amendments to the Police Services Act.[5]

Former chairs

Body Chair Tenure
Metropolitan Toronto Police Commission Charles O. Bick 1956–1977
Philip Givens 1977–1985
Clare Westcott 1985–1988
June Rowlands 1989–1990
Metropolitan Toronto Police Services Board 1990-1991
Susan Eng 1991–1995
Maureen Prinsloo 1995–1998
Toronto Police Services Board Norm Gardner 1998–2004
Alan Heisey 2004
Pam McConnell 2004–2005
Alok Mukherjee 2005–July 31, 2015
Andrew Pringle 2015–2019
Jim Hart 2019–present
Source: Toronto Police Services Board[6]

See also

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.