TTC Special Constable Program Abandoned
Posted October 21, 2010 11:31 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Less than a year after special constables began patrolling the TTC, the program is being scrapped.
The Toronto Police Services Board voted Thursday to back Chief Bill Blair on his recommendation to get rid of special constables – the 42 uniformed officers who act as cops on TTC property.
The constables do not carry guns but have the power to detain people who pose a danger to themselves or others. They work alongside 80 fully trained and armed police officers on special transit duty.
Chief Blair suggested the move would save money and redundancy, and the TTC should hire security guards instead. But the TTC argued security guards do not have powers of arrest and special constables respond quicker than the police.
Each year, special constables detain about 60 people who appear suicidal.
The program ends Feb. 1.
