Ontario Provincial Police
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The Ontario Provincial Police (O.P.P.) is the provincial police force for the province of Ontario, Canada.
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[edit] Overview
The OPP is responsible for providing policing services throughout the province in small rural and suburban areas, outside the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). In essence, it is responsible for policing villages, towns, and cities that do not have their own municipal police service. It also has a mandate to investigate province-wide crimes and responsible for many of the waterways in the province.
Within the Greater Toronto Area, it is responsible for highway safety along the 400-Series Highways and other roadways. The OPP is the largest police force in Ontario and the second largest in Canada. It partners with the Ministry of Transportation Ontario (MTO) in enforcement initiatives aimed at cracking down on unsafe vehicles on the 400 series roads as well as occasionally providing operational support to Ministry of Natural Resourse (MNR) Conservation Officers.
The OPP is also responsible for security at the provincial legislature or Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario.
[edit] History
At the First Parliament of Upper Canada on September 17, 1792, at Niagara-on-the-Lake, provision was made for the formation of a 'police system'. Initially, policing jurisdictions were limited to districts, townships, and parishes. In 1877, ten years after Confederation, the Constables' Act extended jurisdiction and gave designated police members authorization to act throughout the province. The first salaried Provincial Constable appointed to act as Detective for the Government of Ontario was John Wilson Murray.
With the discovery of gold and silver in Northern Ontario, lawlessness increased. Consequently, on October 13, 1909, an Order-In-Council decreed the establishment of a permanent organization of salaried constables designated as The Ontario Provincial Police. It consisted of 45 men under the direction of Superintendent Joseph E. Roger. The starting salary for constables was $400.00 per annum. The first O.P.P. detachment was located in Bala, Ontario.
In 1921, restructuring was undertaken. The title of the commanding officer was changed to Commissioner. Major-General Henry M. Cawthra-Elliot was appointed as the first Commissioner. Gwen M. Boniface, the current O.P.P. Commissioner, took office in May 1998, succeeding Thomas O'Grady.
Motorcycles were introduced in 1930 and the first patrol car in 1944.
During World War II, the Veterans Guard was formed. This was a body of volunteers (primarily World War I veterans), who, under the supervision of regular police members, protected vulnerable hydro-electric plants and the Welland Ship Canal.
Women joined the uniform ranks in 1974.
In 1985, the O.P.P. uniform was made more distinctive with the introduction of a blue trouser stripe to match a blue peak cap band.
In 1995, General Headquarters moved into its new facility in Orillia and for the first time in the history of the organization, all Bureaus were in one building.
[edit] Organization
Today the province is divided into six O.P.P. regions (Central, Greater Toronto, East, North-East, North-West and West), responsible for providing policing services over 993,000 km² of land and 174,000 km² of water to a population of 2.3 million people (3.6 million in the summer months). Currently, the O.P.P. has over 5,300 uniformed and 2,300 civilian personnel. The vehicle fleet consists of 2,290 vehicles, 114 marine vessels, 286 snow and all-terrain vehicles, 2 helicopters and 1 fixed-wing aircraft.
The OPP Headquarters are located at 777 Memorial Avenue in Orillia. Recruits attend the Ontario Police College in Aylmer, Ontario and then complete their training at OPP facilities in Orillia. OPP HQ moved from the Lakeshore Boulevard West and Bay Street site in Toronto, Ontario in 1995.
[edit] Rank
Rank Structure within the OPP is paramilitary or quasi-military in nature, with several 'non-commissioned' ranks leading to the 'officer' ranks. Contrary to popular belief, the Detective ranks fall laterally with the uniform ranks, not a promotion above.
- Cadet - A special placement for those attempting to become full time OPP. It is not an official first rank, as initial Constables are not Cadets first.
- Constable (Detective Constable) - Beginning from 4th Class up to 1st Class (for payscale only), this is the common rank of the OPP.
- Senior Constable - This rank is no longer used within the OPP.
- Sergeant (Detective Sergeant)(Traffic Sergeant)
- Staff Sergeant (Detective Staff Sergeant)(Traffic Staff Sergeant)
- Sergeant Major (Highest 'non-commissioned' rank)
- Inspector (Detective Inspector)
- Superintendent
- Chief Superintendent
- Provincial Commander
- Deputy Commissioner
- Commissioner - this is the title of the head of the force
The OPP has among its many initiatives an auxiliary program designed especially for citizens interested in getting first-hand experience in the organization. It is a volunteer program where selected citizens receive special training in order to assist provincial constables in their duty. It also serves as a stepping stone for potential future employment with the OPP. The O.P.P. Auxiliary has 830 volunteers and is the largest police auxiliary unit in Canada.
OPP police stations are referred to as Detachments.
Only three provinces in Canada, including Ontario, have their own police forces: Newfoundland and Labrador (Royal Newfoundland Constabulary) and Quebec (Sûreté du Québec) are the others.
A list of Superintendents of the OPP:
- 1. Superintendent Joseph E. Roger 1909-?
A list of Commissioners of the OPP:
- 1. Major-General Henry Macintyre Cawthra-Elliot (d. 1949)1921-?
- 2.
- 3.
- 4.
- 5.
- 6. Erik H. Silk QC (1908-2004) 1963-1973
- 7.
- 8.
- 9.
- 10.
- 10. Thomas Bernard O'Grady CM - 1988-1998
- 11. Gwen M. Boniface 1998-2006
- 12. Julian Fantino 2006 -
[edit] Beatles folklore
The 1967 Beatles Album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, contains cover art with Paul McCartney wearing an OPP badge on his fictional uniform (more easily seen in the gatefold picture). The badge was given to John Lennon the day after their 1966 concert in Toronto by a student working for the summer at the OPP Headquarters’ garage when The Beatles were transferred to a police van for the trip to the airport.
Many "Paul Is Dead" enthusiasts have misread the patch as "OPD" (the way the patch was slightly bent on McCartney's sleeve in the gatefold picture, the bottom of the "P" was not visible) and took it to mean "Officially Pronounced Dead."
[edit] OPP in Other Pop Culture
Canadian rock musician Kim Mitchell regularly wore a baseball cap with the O.P.P. logo on it.
[edit] Fleet
- Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor
- Chevrolet Impala
- 1993 and 1980s Chevrolet Caprice
- Chevrolet Malibu
- Chevrolet Express/GMC Savannah
- Harley Davidson FL motorcycles
- Chevrolet Trailblazer
- Aerospatiale AS 355F2 Ecureuil 2 CFOPS
- Bell Helicopter 206L LongRanger CGSXZ
- LIMESTONE 350 Chevrolet Engine marine vessel
- STANLEY Skiff 90 hp Evinrude marine vessel
- LOWE Sea Nymph 25 hp Mercury marine vessel
- Ford Excursion 10 cylinder tow vehicle
- Dodge Charger (LX)
[edit] Contact phone numbers
1-888-310-1122 will get you the closest O.P.P. from anywhere in Ontario.
*677 (star O.P.P) gets you the closest O.P.P. but does not work with all cell phone companies.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Ontario Provincial Police Website
- Road Watch, was started by the Caledon, Ontario Provincial Police detachment.
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