Parking Officers Contribute to Road Safety

New Parking Enforcement Officers are being deployed to provide critical operational support and keep the city moving.

“As Parking Enforcement Officers, you will become intimately familiar with the streets of Toronto and it’s 158 neighbourhoods and, during every shift, you will make judgment calls drawing from your training and your knowledge of municipal by-laws in order to keep the city’s roads moving and people safe,” Deputy Chief Lauren Pogue said at the graduation ceremony on July 5 at the Toronto Police College for 24 Parking Enforcement Officers.

“Those who don’t understand your role may think that you only issue parking tickets, but those people underestimate your value and the importance of Parking Enforcement Officers who contribute to the vital service that we provide to the people of Toronto everyday.”

The operational support includes helping to recover stolen vehicles, providing language interpretation, emergency support, crime management, and assisting with corporate and local community-policing initiatives.

“You are a highly visible, uniformed presence in our communities, and you ensure public safety by supporting crime prevention,” Pogue noted. “Your job is physically demanding and the work you do to keep Toronto moving means you move with it, whether that is by foot, bicycle, motorcycle or car. You will help cyclists, pedestrians, and people with disabilities go about their days safely.

“The service you provide protects the people of Toronto by enforcing the proper use of accessibility tags, parking restrictions during rush hour or no parking in bicycle lanes. Each function supports our Service in building and maintaining trust with the communities we serve. I know you will be guided by integrity and self-responsibility and that you will treat everyone you encounter with respect, equity and dignity.”

The new class brings a rich array of ethnic, cultural and linguistic diversity to the Service.

A total of 20 of them speak another language other than English, nine speak two other languages and one of them speak three other languages.

“Through you, we can engage with our different communities and neighbourhoods, speak to community members in their home languages, create and fortify relationships, thus enhancing our ever-important partnership with the public – the critical key to all we do,” said Toronto Police Service Board Acting Chief Executive Officer Danielle Dowdy.

“As a Board, we recognize the hugely important role that Parking Enforcement Officers play in our city. Tasked with the responsibility for the safe and orderly flow of traffic in Toronto, you maintain road safety by monitoring and enforcing parking laws on our streets. You also play a critical role in supporting Torontonians as they live, work and play on a daily basis, ensuring that parking spaces are used appropriately and for proper purposes.”

Dowdy reminded the graduates that they are ambassadors for the Service as they do their jobs, interacting with citizens daily.

“Be proud of the organization you represent as you demonstrate your professionalism, integrity and work ethic in all that you do,” she added. “We are lucky to have each one of you for your wonderful talents, your valuable skills and your unique insights.  You truly bring the community into the Service.”

Raninderjit Singh, who achieved the highest mark in the class with 99.3 per cent, is excited to be a TPS member.

“I always wanted to be a part of a policing family,” he said. “With the encouragement of a friend, I applied for this position and am so glad I was accepted.”

Singh, who has held private parking enforcement and security positions since migrating to Canada five years ago, said he’s been impressed by the training for this work.

“In other positions, I was brushed aside when I asked questions,” he pointed out. “This was not the case here as the training officers answered my queries and gave us all the information we need to do our jobs well.”

Ilan Shaeyvich, who was a security guard at a hospital before joining the Service, agreed that the training has been a great experience.

“The training was thorough and the trainers were amazing,” he said.

The training officers were Lori Young, Pamela Carswell, Kether Graham, Joanne Catania and Kim Nearing.

A uniform officer before joining Parking Enforcement 34 years ago, Young said the new recruits were given all the tools they need to do their jobs efficiently and effectively.

They were in training for five weeks, covering many subjects, including writing handwritten and electronic hand-held tickets, towing, private property, fire routes, accessible parking, considerations and by-laws.

The newcomers also received training in crisis communications, defensive tactics, tactical communication, powers of arrest, occupational health & safety and ethics training.

“We wanted to make sure they have the tools for the effective flow of traffic in the city,” Young said.

Trevor Hardison was the valedictorian of the class that included two Youth in Policing Initiative (YIPI) graduates – Azeem Mohamed and Ricardo Ruiz Gonzalez.

The new members will spend the next five weeks with a coach officer on the road before being assigned to the east or west end of the city.

The Parking Enforcement Unit comprises 320 members.

Learn more on the Parking Enforcement Officer Careers webpage.