TTC Special Constable Services
Encyclopedia
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
.
The Constables patrolled within Toronto and areas beyond Toronto served by the TTC.
Constables had three designations:
. 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:
In addition, they were also authorized to issue fines to persons in violation of TTC By-Law 1.
- in a less aerosol form to avoid contamination in confined places), body armour and carried portable radios.
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.
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.
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,"
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 security guards or bylaw enforcement officers, tasked primarily with fare evasion and by-law offenses.
, 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 idetical to the Special Constable uniforms except they say "Transit Enforcement Unit" instead of "Special Constable Service".
, broke up a Metropass
counterfeit
ing 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.
Toronto Transit Commission
-Island Ferry:The ferry service to the Toronto Islands was operated by the TTC from 1927 until 1962, when it was transferred to the Metro Parks and Culture department. Since 1998, the ferry service is run by Toronto Parks and Recreation.-Gray Coach:...
(TTC) in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
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
Toronto Police Service
The Toronto Police Service , formerly the Metropolitan Toronto Police, is the police service for the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the largest municipal police service in Canada and second largest police force in Canada after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police...
.
Organizational structure and mandate
Former ranks
- Constable
- Sergeant
- Staff Sergeant
- Superintendent
- Deputy Chief
- Chief
Constables had three designations:
- Subway Patrol
- Mobile Patrol
- Criminal Investigations.
Jurisdiction
Pursuant to Section 53 of the Police Services Act of OntarioPolice Services Act of Ontario
The Police Services Act of Ontario is a provincial act governing the conduct of police officers in the Canadian province of Ontario. This legislation is within the responsibility of the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services...
. These peace officers had similar powers as Police Officers
Policing in Canada
In Canada, there are three levels of police forces: municipal, provincial, and federal. Constitutionally, law enforcement is a provincial responsibility, and most urban areas have been given the authority by the provinces to maintain their own police force...
and were sworn in by the TTC and these police forces:
- Toronto Police ServiceToronto Police ServiceThe Toronto Police Service , formerly the Metropolitan Toronto Police, is the police service for the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the largest municipal police service in Canada and second largest police force in Canada after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police...
- York Regional PoliceYork Regional PoliceYork Regional Police is a law enforcement organization that serves over 1.1 million residents in the York Region, Ontario, Canada, located north of Toronto...
- Peel Regional PolicePeel Regional PolicePeel Regional Police provides police services for Peel Region in Ontario, Canada. It is the second largest municipal police service in Ontario after the Toronto Police Service and third largest municipal force in Canada with 1,900 uniformed members and close to 800 support staff.Peel Region...
At the height of the program a contingent of over 102 Special Constables patrolled TTC properties and they were able to enforce:
- Criminal Code of CanadaCriminal Code of CanadaThe Criminal Code or Code criminel is a law that codifies most criminal offences and procedures in Canada. Its official long title is "An Act respecting the criminal law"...
- Controlled Drugs and Substances ActControlled Drugs and Substances ActThe Controlled Drugs and Substances Act is Canada's federal drug control statute. Passed in 1996 by the Chrétien government, it repeals the Narcotic Control Act and Parts III and IV of the Food and Drug Act and establishes eight Schedules of controlled substances and two Classes of precursors...
- Trespass to Property Act of OntarioTrespass to Property Act of OntarioTrespass to Property Act of Ontario is provincial law in Ontario dealing with illegal entry into private and public property. As a provincial law, the penalties and mechanisms of enforcement are also provincial...
- 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.
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 sprayPepper spray
Pepper spray, also known as OC spray , OC gas, and capsicum spray, is a lachrymatory agent that is used in riot control, crowd control and personal self-defense, including defense against dogs and bears...
- in a less aerosol form to avoid contamination in confined places), body armour and carried portable radios.
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.
History
Before the creation of the TTC Special Constables, security on the Toronto Transit CommissionToronto Transit Commission
-Island Ferry:The ferry service to the Toronto Islands was operated by the TTC from 1927 until 1962, when it was transferred to the Metro Parks and Culture department. Since 1998, the ferry service is run by Toronto Parks and Recreation.-Gray Coach:...
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.
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,"
On October 21, 2010 the Toronto Police Services Board
Toronto Police Services Board
The Toronto Police Services Board is the civilian oversight of the Toronto Police Service. It was called the Metropolitan Toronto Police Services Board from 1990 until 1998 and the Metropolitan Toronto Police Commission from 1955 until 1990 when the name of the body was changed as a result of...
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 security guards or bylaw enforcement officers, tasked primarily with fare evasion and by-law offenses.
Status
The former Special Constables are now referred to as "Transit Enforcemet Officers" and are working in uniforms and plain clothes enforcing the Criminal Code of CanadaCriminal Code of Canada
The Criminal Code or Code criminel is a law that codifies most criminal offences and procedures in Canada. Its official long title is "An Act respecting the criminal law"...
, pursuant to Section 494 (commonly referred to as Citizen's arrest
Citizen's arrest
A citizen's arrest is an arrest made by a person who is not acting as a sworn law-enforcement official. In common law jurisdictions, the practice dates back to medieval Britain and the English common law, in which sheriffs encouraged ordinary citizens to help apprehend law breakers.Despite the...
powers, as well as By-Law #1 and the Trespass to Property Act of Ontario
Trespass to Property Act of Ontario
Trespass to Property Act of Ontario is provincial law in Ontario dealing with illegal entry into private and public property. As a provincial law, the penalties and mechanisms of enforcement are also provincial...
. The new Transit Enforcement uniforms are idetical to the Special Constable uniforms except they say "Transit Enforcement Unit" instead of "Special Constable Service".
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.Counterfeiting operations, 2006
The TTC Special Constables, working with the Peel Regional PolicePeel Regional Police
Peel Regional Police provides police services for Peel Region in Ontario, Canada. It is the second largest municipal police service in Ontario after the Toronto Police Service and third largest municipal force in Canada with 1,900 uniformed members and close to 800 support staff.Peel Region...
, broke up a Metropass
Toronto Transit Commission fares
On the Toronto Transit Commission, fares may be paid with a variety of media, the price of which may be determined by the age of the rider.-Single-trip fares:...
counterfeit
Counterfeit
To counterfeit means to illegally imitate something. Counterfeit products are often produced with the intent to take advantage of the superior value of the imitated product...
ing 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.
Fleet
- Ford Police Interceptor - Previously marked, however all have been converted to unmarked operation.
- Various unmarked vehicles for undercover and surveillance operations
See also
- Toronto Transit CommissionToronto Transit Commission-Island Ferry:The ferry service to the Toronto Islands was operated by the TTC from 1927 until 1962, when it was transferred to the Metro Parks and Culture department. Since 1998, the ferry service is run by Toronto Parks and Recreation.-Gray Coach:...
- Transit policeTransit policeTransit police are a specialized police agency or unit employed by a common carrier, which could be a transit district, railroad, bus line, other transport carrier, or the state...
- YRT/Viva Special Constable ServicesYRT/VIVA Special Constable ServicesThe YRT/Viva Special Constable Services is the security section of the York Region Transit and Viva transit system in York Region, Ontario, Canada. The Special Constable Services were launched in September 2005, and are responsible for safety and security on the YRT and Viva...