User talk:TCH Special Constable

TCH Special Constable
The TCH Special Constable Service is part of the Community Safety Unit of the Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC or TCH) in the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Special Constable Service was established in 2000, and is responsible for the safety and security in TCH communities. These Special Constables are peace officers, with similar powers as Toronto Police officers, and are sworn in by TCH and Toronto Police Service. Authorized as “Special Constables” by the Toronto Police Service Board pursuant to Section 53 of the Police Services Act of Ontario.

Organizational structure and mandate
The Constables patrolled within the City of Toronto served by TCH.

Rank Structure

 * 7 Parking Enforcement Officer
 * 1 Parking Enforcement Supervisor
 * Security Officer (Position Defunct)
 * 13 Provincial Offences Officer (Community Patrol Officer)
 * 78 Special Constable (Community Patrol officer)
 * 7 Sergeant
 * Chief Constable (Position Defunct)
 * Director

Special Constables and Provincial Offences Officer have designations:
 * Mobile Patrol (24 hours across the city)
 * Operation Unit Patrol (Assigned to Several Communities)

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.

Currently TCH has 91 Community Patrol Officer(78 Special Constables and 13 Provincial Offence Officers) patrolling TCH properties and they were able to enforce:
 * Criminal Code of Canada
 * Controlled Drugs and Substances Act
 * Trespass to Property Act of Ontario
 * Liquor Licence Act
 * Section 17 of the Mental Health Act of Ontario.

In addition, they were also authorized to issue fines to vehicles in violation to City of Toronto parking regulations as they are designated as Municipal Law Enforcement Officer(MLEO) same as TCH Parking Enforcement Officer. Currently there are 7 TCH Parking Enforcement Officer patrolling TCH properties and sometimes they are called to assist the Community Patrol Officers.

Deployment
The Mobile Patrol section members are on duty 24 hours/365 days a years, are spread throughout the entire city. While the Operating Unit section members were the visible presence in specific high profile communities. The Special Constable & Provincial Offences Officer were distinct uniforms distinct; 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 Constable armed with ASP batons and OC Foam, body armour and carried portable radios, while Provincial Offences Officer are outfitted with 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 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

 * Chevrolet Chevrolet Impala Police packaged - Marked.
 * Nissan Nissan Altima Hybrid Police Packaged - Marked Sergeant Vehicle
 * Toyota Toyota Camry Hybrid Police Packaged - Marked Sergeant Vehicle
 * Ford Ford Escape - Marked Sergeant Vehicle
 * Dodge Dodge Caravan - Unmarked Vehicle.