Sgt. Mike Facoetti loves his job as a Toronto police officer, even when his shifts have him working at 4 a.m. According to Toronto police data, crime rates are higher during the day than at night.
On Sept. 23, the Todmorden Legion held its third annual Heroes of Suicide march and vigil. In past years, the event was held to honour soldiers who died of suicide, but this year, it was expanded to honour first responders as well.
East York resident William Robinson said he was baffled on March 27 when he found his car window smashed in and only a $7 gift card stolen.
“It cost me $300 … to fix the window, and they took a $7 Tim Hortons card,” said Robinson, 62. “There’s stuff they could have taken that would have been an inconvenience.”
On Monday, Toronto Police Service reported a series of car break-ins on Eastdale Avenue near Main Street. Residents at 75 Eastdale Ave. woke up only to find windows of their cars broken and the contents dumped onto the seats of the cars.
The city of Toronto has seen a 35 per cent increase in gun violence from 2016 over the year before. According to figures released by the Toronto Police Service, in 2015, there were a reported 414 victims of gun violence. In 2016, there were over 513.
The union representing Toronto’s front line police officers says reductions to the police budget will have a noticeable impact on public safety.
On Tuesday, the City released its preliminary 2017 budget, which proposes a $4.4 million cut to annual police spending. Also included in the report are increases to property taxes and investment in public transit.
Mike McCormack, the president of the Toronto Police Association (TPA) warned that crime will rise as Toronto’s population increases.
“We have huge sporting events, (and Toronto is) a destination city,” McCormack said. “That’s a huge demand on police resources. There is clear evidence that properly deployed police officers have an impact on crime prevention.”
A resident from the Cosburn and Cedarvale area calls the intersection a “time bomb” when it comes to pedestrian safety.
On Thursday afternoon police say a 69-year-old woman crossing at that intersection in East York was struck and killed by a moving truck.
When people think of police cars, they immediately think of flashing lights, high speed-chases, and uniformed police officers catching bad guys. This is what police cruisers are meant to do, but what happens when the car has too much mileage, or isn’t worth fixing? When law enforcement vehicles are put out for retirement, they often find second careers. They turn into someone else’s private car, or maybe even turn up as a prop in a blockbuster movie.
Police and emergency services were quickly on the scene after a vat of hot tar encased a 46-year-old worker at Logan and Danforth Avenue, early Monday morning. Emergency personal worked vigorously to extract the man, who became trapped in the back of a large paving truck.
Bill Rusk remembers June 24, 1990, as a pretty hot and clammy day.
Police officer Rusk and his partner were on patrol in a North York neighbourhood and tasked with arresting two suspects in a drug investigation. Around 1 a.m., Rusk began pursuing a suspect.
“I was between two vehicles and (the suspect) turned and yelled. I realized he had a handgun pointed at me,” Rusk said. “It was too late for me to pull (out) my firearm.”
It was a cold night, last September. Toronto Police Dog Services Constable John Massey was driving back to his 54 Division station in East York.
A call came over the radio about a “suspicious package” found on the Leaside Bridge, not far from his station.
“That obviously triggers some alarms,” Massey said.
The “suspicious package” was a backpack. Inside, was a suicide note.
“I just volunteered for the call,” he said.