Mark Saunders (police chief)
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Mark Saunders OOM |
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|---|---|
| Chief of the Toronto Police Service | |
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Assumed office April 26, 2015 |
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| 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. Saunders is the first Black Canadian to lead Toronto's police service and reportedly beat out deputy chief Peter Sloly for the position. 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.
Saunders was born in England to Jamaican parents. 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.
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.
Saunders has an Honours Bachelor of Applied Science in Justice Studies from the University of Guelph-Humber (completed in 2015).
Saunders is a father of four and lives in Etobicoke.
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