Mark Saunders (police officer)

Mark Saunders
OOM
Chief of the Toronto Police Service
Assumed office
April 26, 2015
Preceded by Bill Blair
Personal details
Born 1962 (age 54–55)
London, England
Nationality Canadian
Children 4
Residence Toronto
Occupation Police Chief

Mark Saunders, OOM (born 1962) is a Canadian law enforcer and is the current Chief of Police of the Toronto Police Service. He was chosen on April 17, 2015 to succeed Bill Blair following Blair's retirement the following week.[1] Saunders is the first Black Canadian to lead Toronto's police service and reportedly beat out deputy chief Peter Sloly for the position.[1] He is only the second Black Canadian to head a police force in Canada, having been preceded by Devon Clunis of the Winnipeg Police Service in 2012.

Early life

Saunders was born in England to Jamaican parents.[2] His family moved from England to Quebec, and in 1969, moved to Milton, Ontario. He was a student council president while attending Milton District High School, and also attended W.I. Dick Middle School.[3]

Toronto Police Service

Saunders began his policing career after graduating from high school and has served with the Toronto Police for 32 years, rising to the position of deputy chief in charge of specialized operations command, before being appointed chief in 2015. During his career, he has had assignments with professional standards, urban street gang unit, intelligence division, drug squad, community safety command, emergency task force and served as the unit commander of the homicide squad.[4]

Education

Saunders has an Honours Bachelor of Applied Science in Justice Studies from the University of Guelph-Humber (completed in 2015).[4]

Personal life

Saunders is a father of four[5] and lives in Etobicoke.

Honours

Ribbon Description Notes
Order of Merit of the Police Forces (OOM)
  • Officer
  • Appointed 8 January 2015
  • [6]
Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal
  • 2012
  • Canadian Version of this Medal
  • [7]
Police Exemplary Service Medal

References

  1. 1 2 Royson James (April 19, 2015). "Mark Saunders named Toronto’s next police chief". Toronto Star. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  2. ↑ Powell, Betsy; Pagliaro, Jennifer (March 27, 2015). "Two deputies in spotlight in search for a diverse police chief". Toronto Star. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  3. ↑ Slack, Julie (2015-04-21). "New Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders a former Milton resident". Inside Halton. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
  4. 1 2 "Command Officers' biographies: Mark Saunders, Chief of Police". Toronto Police Service. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
  5. ↑ Wendy Gillis (April 20, 2015). "Saunders pledges more community input on carding". Toronto Star.
  6. ↑ "Order of Merit of the Police Forces Mark Saunders, O.O.M.". The Governor General of Canada. 2015-10-05. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
  7. ↑ "The Diamond Jubilee Medal: Saunders, Superintendent Mark". The Governor General of Canada. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
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