User:TCH Special Constable

TCH Special Constable
TCH Special Constable Services are part of the Community Safety Unit of Toronto Community Housing (T.C.H) in the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. T.C.H Special Constable Services were established in 2000 and are responsible for the safety and security of T.C.H communities. T.C.H Special Constables are sworn peace officers, with the power of a Police Officer, and are appointed by TCH and the Toronto Police Service Board pursuant to Section 53 of the Police Services Act of Ontario.

Organizational structure and mandate
T.C.H Special Constables patrol within the City of Toronto all areas served by TCH.

Rank Structure

 * 1 Director of Community Safety Unit
 * 1 Operational Safety Services Manager
 * 1 Parking Enforcement Co-Ordinator
 * 1 Program & Legislative Co-ordinator
 * 1 Communications Supervisor
 * 78 Special Constables (Community Patrol Officer)
 * 8 Sergeants
 * 16 Provincial Offences Officers (Community Patrol Officer)
 * 9 Communications Dispatchers

Parking Enforcement Officer and Security Officer (Positions Defunct)

Jurisdiction
Pursuant to Section 53 of the Police Services Act of Ontario. These peace officers have similar powers as Police Officers and were sworn in by the TCH and Toronto Police Service.

T.C.H Community Safety Unit currently has 91 Community Patrol Officers (78 Special Constables and 13 Provincial Offence Officers) patrolling T.C.H properties and they have the authority of a Police Officer to enforce:
 * Criminal Code of Canada
 * Controlled Drugs and Substances Act
 * Provincial Offences Act of Ontario
 * Trespass to Property Act of Ontario
 * Liquor Licence Act
 * Mental Health Act of Ontario.

All Community Patrol Officers are authorized to issue Provincial Offence Notices (P.O.N) and Summonses (Form 104). In addition, all Community Patrol Officers are authorized to issue Parking Infraction Notices and tow vehicles in violation to City of Toronto parking by-laws as they are designated as Municipal Law Enforcement Officers (MLEO).

Deployment
Mobile Patrol section members are on duty 24 hours/365 days a year, are assigned throughout the entire city in three zones (East, Central & West).

T.C.H Special Constables & Provincial Offences Officers wear a distinct uniform consisting of a Dark Blue jacket and powder blue shirt with a Special Constables Crest or Provincial Offences Officer Crest on both shoulders and dark blue cargo pants. Special Constables are armed with ASP 21" extendable batons and OC Foam, body armour, handcuffs and portable radios, while Provincial Offences Officers have the same equipment minus the pepper spray.

History & Background
Toronto Community Housing is the largest social housing provider in Canada and the second largest in North America. It is home to about 164,000 low and moderate-income tenants in 58,500 households, including seniors, families, singles, refugees, recent immigrants to Canada and people with special needs.

Our tenants come from diverse backgrounds. This diversity includes age, education, language, sexual orientation, mental and physical disability, religion, ethnicity and race as well as increasing diversity in lifestyles and values.

Our portfolio includes more than 2215 buildings including high, mid, and low-rise apartments, and townhouses and houses.

TCH is the amalgamation of three housing organizations in Toronto following the downloading of housing to municipalities by the provincial government. These were Metropolitan Toronto Housing Company the short-lived new name of Metropolitan Toronto Housing Authority (MTHA) the provincial housing agency, and Toronto Housing Company (TCH) which comprised Metropolitan Toronto Housing Company and City Homes the two city housing agencies.

MTHA was created by Metropolitan Toronto in 1954 to deal with housing for the poor and to eliminate the slums in Old Toronto and adjacent suburbs. In 2002 four years after the amalgamation of Toronto, it merged with other public housing providers to form the TCH, which is one of the largest public housing providers in North America.

Before the creation of the TCH Special Constables, security on the Metropolitan Toronto Housing Authority was limited to random patrols by Toronto Police officers, but the housing authority had added contract security guards known as Community Guardians to provide security relating to property offenses in 1970. In 1990, The MTHA created a parallel system with approximately 40 in-house security personnel and 160 contract service personnel provided by Metropol Services. In 2000 MTHA, a provincial agency applied to Toronto Police Service Board (TPSB) and was granted a pilot Special Constable Program that was similar to Toronto Transit Commission. TCH Special Constable Program agreement is renewed every 5 years by TPSB.

In 2004 TCH downsized the security unit from 200 officers to less then 100 officers. During the summer of 2005 which was dubbed "The Summer of the Gun" most of the shooting occurred on or in relation to TCH property. TCH management at this time decided to hire more officers and every year has being recruiting more officers to bolster the safety unit.

Fleet

 * Ford Police Interceptor sedan - Marked
 * Chevrolet Impala Police 9C1 - Marked
 * Nissan Altima Hybrid - Marked Sergeant Vehicle
 * Toyota Camry Hybrid - Marked Sergeant Vehicle
 * Ford Escape - Marked Sergeant Vehicle
 * Dodge Caravan - Unmarked Vehicle.