Auxiliaries Strengthen City

Auxiliaries are important to a big city because they provide essential support, enhance community engagement and help extend police resources and presence.

“Over the decades, the program has evolved, often adapting to new challenges, new technologies and changing community needs,” Deputy Chief Lauren Pogue said at the graduation ceremony on December 4 at the Toronto Police College. “Despite this, its purpose has always remained the same and that is to assist in the delivery of crime prevention initiatives and strengthen the bond between police and the communities we serve.”

Auxiliaries also serve as TPS ambassadors at major events, including the Santa Claus Parade, Canada Day festivities, the Caribbean Carnival and countless neighbourhood barbecues and local gatherings.

“Our Auxiliaries, with their professionalism, approachability and genuine care, really shine when it comes to interacting with the public,” Pogue noted. “They reflect the very best of community policing and bring pride to the Toronto Police Service.”

This commitment is also seen in programs like Project Next Stop: Community Safety, a collaborative initiative with the TTC led by Auxiliaries who engage with passengers to foster trust and safety in the transit system.

“The feedback from the public has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Pogue. “Passengers consistently describe our Auxiliary members as approachable, professional and knowledgeable.”

The 21 graduates were chosen from a pool of nearly 500 applicants.

“From the beginning, it was clear this group brought with them a wealth of experience, diverse backgrounds and a wide range of cultures and languages,” Pogue noted. “They are a reflection of the vibrant city they will now serve.”

Mayor Olivia Chow said she notices the pride and positivity of the  Auxiliary officers at the city’s major events and recognizes the impact they have on preventing crime.

She noted that the class is another impressive group of people that will carry on this important work.

“This graduating class looks exactly what Toronto looks like: diverse, talented and full of energy and dedication,” Chow said.

After completing Justice Studies nine years ago, Geraldine Cifuentes Zuniga considered policing as a career.

“I wanted something to do in law enforcement and in the community,” the employment counsellor for people with disabilities said. “Becoming an Auxiliary gives me the opportunity to take that step and get closer to that goal.”

In each graduating class, the student who demonstrates outstanding performance in the various training programs is presented with the Julian Fantino Award for their proficiency.

A former Toronto Police Chief, Fantino began his career as an Auxiliary member.

The award recipient was Wing Kei Wong.

Recruits choose one of their peers to speak on their behalf and share the experiences the group enjoyed over the last nine weeks.

Paul Seidman was the valedictorian.

“I am sure when we began this journey, we did not know what to expect,” he said. “We came from all walks of life, each of us drawn together by the same common goal to make a difference in our community. We quickly learned that putting on this uniform is not just about volunteering our time to keep us busy and out of the house. It is about earning respect, trust, stepping up showing compassion to people that need our help and supporting them for their hardest days ahead.”

With the addition of this current class, the TPS now has over 300 members in the Auxiliary Program. On average, these members collectively contribute a staggering 60-65,000 hours of volunteer work annually, with individual members contributing anywhere from 150 to 1100 hours per year.

Since September 30, the Auxiliary members were engaged in a variety of academic and practical training to prepare them for their role.

Sergeants Laura McConnell and Wendy Drummond urged the class to collect personal items for survivors of intimate partner violence, and the Auxiliaries responded overwhelmingly.

“We collected many items, and I am so proud of our group,” said Cifuentes Zuniga who is the class leader. “It means a lot to us because one of our major roles as Auxiliaries is community engagement.”

The donations were delivered to Women’s Habitat in Etobicoke.

“It is important to our organization to have the Toronto Police and Auxiliaries as part of our circle of support for our clients,” said Executive Director Carla Neto. “We value this community partnership.”

Community Service Awards were presented to Auxiliary Constables Leonid Burcovschi and Harry Shore.

Burcovschi, a bus operator with York Region Transit who became an Auxiliary in 2022, came to the aid of a two-year-old boy who was choking on a slice of apple at Finch Station last September. He helped the boy’s father perform CPR, which dislodged the apple slice and restored the child’s breathing.

Two months ago, Shore – an Auxiliary since 1992 – saw a truck rollover on Highway 27 and climbed onto the overturned vehicle to help the trapped driver, keeping him calm until emergency services arrived.

The Auxiliary program is the Service’s longest-running community initiative and partnership, established in the aftermath of Hurricane Hazel in 1954 which killed 81 people, the majority in Toronto.

In the last 68 years, members have provided countless hours of service during the 2010 G20 Summit, papal visits in 1984 and 2002 during World Youth Day celebrations, at the 2003 Rolling Stones concert and at the sites of the 1962 propane plant explosion in Maple, the 1969 natural gas explosion in Malton and the 1979 trail derailment in Mississauga.

Learn more about Auxiliary program and other volunteer opportunities at tps.ca/volunteer.