Mike Boyd | |
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Interim Chief of the Toronto Police Service | |
In office March 1, 2005 – April 6, 2005 |
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Preceded by | Julian Fantino |
Succeeded by | Bill Blair |
Chief of the Edmonton Police Service | |
In office January 18, 2006 – December 31, 2010 |
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Preceded by | Darryl da Costa |
Succeeded by | Roderick Knect |
Personal details | |
Born | 1952 (age 64–65) Toronto, Ontario |
Nationality | Canadian |
Spouse(s) | Margo Boyd |
Residence | Toronto, Ontario |
Michael J. Boyd (born 1952) is a Canadian police officer and administrator, who served as the interim Chief of the Toronto Police and then as Chief of the Edmonton Police. He is a 35-year veteran of the Toronto Police Service.
Boyd graduated from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (F.B.I.) National Academy Program, earned a certificate in Criminal Justice Education from the University of Virginia and has completed the F.B.I.’s National Executive Institute Course.
Boyd resides in Toronto, Ontario with his wife Margo.
Boyd was appointed as deputy chief in 1994. He was considered a leading candidate for the chief's job in 1999, when it was offered to Fantino, who was then the Chief of York Region Police. This was despite the fact that Fantino hadn't officially even applied for the job. In 2001, Boyd became Deputy Chief of all specialized investigative and operational support units.
Boyd subsequently retired from the police force in 2003, and worked with the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse.
Boyd came out of retirement to accept an appointment as interim police chief from March 1, 2005 to April 6, 2005. His appointment followed the police services board's controversial 2004 announcement that it would not renew Fantino's contract at the end of his term, a decision which outraged many of Toronto's more conservative city councilors. In his early media interviews, Boyd stated that he hoped to bring a more collaborative and community-oriented style of leadership to the job than Fantino did, particularly around controversial issues such as racial profiling. Boyd was initially considered a front-runner for position of police chief after some praise from the board during his short time. On April 6, another former deputy chief, Bill Blair, was named Fantino's permanent successor. Insiders suggested that the vote was 4-2 in favour of Blair. In contrast to Fantino, there was little difference between Boyd and Blair, although it was widely believed that mayor David Miller personally preferred Boyd. Case Ootes and Hugh Locke, the two conservative members of the police services board, voted against Boyd for that reason.