Police-Encounters-With-People-In-Crisis

43. To reflect the important principle of civilian oversight over police, the Toronto
Police Services Board (TPSB) is at the top of the governance structure. Under section 31
of the Police Services Act, the TPSB appoints the Chief of Police, and all deputy chiefs of
police. The Board has the power to direct the Chief of Police, but that power is limited,
in that the Board is not permitted to direct the Chief of Police with respect to specific
operational decisions or with respect to the day-to-day operation of the police force. The
Board is empowered to generally determine, after consultation with the Chief of Police,
objectives and priorities with respect to police services in Toronto, and to establish
policies for the effective management of the police force. Under section 39 of the Police
Services Act, the Board is required to submit a budget estimate for the TPS to Toronto
City Council.
44. I pause to note that the oversight role played by the TPSB is beyond the scope of
this Review. During the course of the Review, I received several recommendations from
stakeholders regarding the importance of effective Board governance and oversight, and
the topic was also raised in some interviews. It is clear that the Board and the Chief of
Police need to work well together as partners, and that the Board itself needs to function
efficiently and effectively in order to provide necessary civilian oversight. However, as
the topic is outside of my mandate, I make no specific recommendations in this Report
about the Board.
45. The Chief of Police has ultimate operational authority over the TPS. Under
section 41 of the Police Services Act, the Chief of Police is responsible for administering
the TPS and overseeing its operation in accordance with the objectives, priorities, and
policies established by the Board. The Chief is also required to ensure that members of
the TPS carry out their duties in accordance with the Act and its regulations in a manner
that reflects the needs of the community, and to ensure that discipline is maintained in
the TPS. The Chief must also ensure that the TPS provides community-oriented police
services. The Chief of Police reports to the Board and must obey its lawful orders and
directions.
46. Below the Chief of Police, the TPS functions using a hierarchy-based commandand-control
system.
47. The Chief’s operational authority is delegated downward through a chain of
command. The “Senior Command” is a group of five individuals comprised of the chief,
three deputy chiefs and the chief administrative officer (the CAO, who is a civilian but
equivalent in rank to a deputy chief). Senior Command meets on an ad hoc basis as the
Executive Management Team.
48. Each of the three deputy chiefs and the CAO is responsible for one of four
Commands, as set out in the organizational chart at Figure 2.
49. The CAO is responsible for the Corporate Services Command, which deals with
the internal administration of the TPS, including human resources, finance, and IT.
50. The deputy chief responsible for the Operational Support Command is in charge
of units that support police operations but are not directly involved in policing. This
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