Volunteer Officers Make Enormous Impact

Quantifying the value that Auxiliary Officers bring to Toronto Police Service is difficult to do with precise metrics, Deputy Chief Lauren Pogue pointed out at the new class graduation at the Toronto Police College on May 6.

A total of 28 new volunteer uniform members, ranging in age from 18 to 70, were sworn in.

“It is difficult to adequately sum up the enormous impact that our graduates will have on our Service and the citizens of Toronto,” she said. “As individuals, you bring so many skills and experiences that will enhance and enrich the Auxiliary program. We are excited to witness the results of your endeavours and watch you grow.”

While the program has changed and adapted to the times over the years, Pogue noted the purpose has been the same.

“To assist in the delivery of crime prevention initiatives and engage with the public at community events have remained constant,” she said. “It is in fulfilling these two roles and through their volunteer contributions that the Auxiliary members, always friendly and always approachable, really do shine an incredibly positive light on the Toronto Police Service. Over the past 18 months, we have witnessed our Auxiliary members become integral to ensuring public safety, providing a reassuring and calming high visibility presence, specifically around mosques, synagogues, cultural centres, schools and other places of worship across the city.”

There were nearly 400 applicants.

“From as early as the interview and selection process, it was apparent that our successful applicants brought with them a wealth of diverse life and professional experiences, culture and languages,” said Pogue. “They are representative of the diverse city we work in and the communities they will serve.”

Whether it is crime prevention, public engagement or simply offering a calm and steady presence on city streets, Toronto Police Service Board member Lisa Kostakis said Auxiliaries are a vital part of the team.

“You help keep our city safe and, just as importantly, you help ensure our Service remains grounded in community trust and connection,” she said. “Tonight you are joining something important. This is more than a volunteer role. It is a calling. And the work you do matters every single day. So be proud when you wear that uniform because you have earned it. And now you are part of a proud tradition of service, safety and community care.”

Almost 60 percent of the class was born outside Canada and the new members speak 16 languages, including Punjabi, Portuguese, Arabic and Korean.

“That is powerful,” Kostakis pointed out. “That is meaningful. That allows us to reach people where they are, in the language they speak and in the way they feel seen.”

Nearly 70 percent aspire to pursue a law enforcement career.

“Hopefully that is with Toronto Police,” Kostakis added. “That is exciting and encouraging because we need people like you, people who care, people who serve and people who understand our communities and bring their full selves to this work.”

Ever since sitting in a scout car at age three, Noah Castro wanted to be in a law enforcement.

“It is something that has always been on my mind,” said the teenager, who is in Durham College’s Police Foundations program.

Speaking with close family friend Daniel Silverman, who is an Auxiliary Staff Sergeant at 52 Division, solidified his career path.

“I am going to use the Auxiliary program as a stepping stone to get into policing and hopefully that will be with Toronto,” he said. “I want to serve and make a positive impact in communities.”

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.

This year’s recipient is Wayne Campbell who, at age 70, is the oldest member to join the program since its inception.

He was with City of Toronto Facilities Management for 28 years before retiring in 2016.

“In the past few years, I have been caring for my two grandchildren,” said Campbell. “They are getting older and I have some free time on my hands. I was thinking about volunteering with the Salvation Army or a hospital until a friend told me I should consider giving back with Toronto Police. He was right because I think I am better fit with them in terms of what I can offer.”

If given a preference, he would love to volunteer with the Marine Unit.

“I did a lot of scuba diving, fishing and other water activities in Trinidad & Tobago before I got here,” Campbell added.

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

In each graduating class, the students choose one of their peers to speak on their behalf and share the experiences the group enjoyed over the last nine weeks.

This year’s Class Valedictorian is Andrew Harris.

“We are here because we believe in this city,” he said. “We believe in the officers who protect it and we believe a stronger Toronto begins with connection and with the quiet but powerful act of showing up. We may have started as strangers in a classroom, but we leave here as teammates, friends and as Auxiliary members ready to serve.”

Approximately 320 Auxiliaries volunteer approximately 65,000 hours in Toronto annually, assisting in community mobilization initiatives, crime prevention programs, special events, parades, searches for missing persons and emergency call-outs.

Individual members contribute between 150 to 1,000 hours yearly in addition to their regular jobs, studies and family commitments.

In their role, they will serve the city’s neighbourhoods, giving them the opportunity to foster relationships and build trust while they get to know the city.

In nine weeks since March 11, the Auxiliary members were engaged in a variety of academic and practical training to prepare them for their role.

The Auxiliary program was established 68 years ago in the aftermath of Hurricane Hazel in 1954 which killed 81 people in Canada, the majority in Toronto.

In the last six decades, 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 the Auxiliary Officer Program.