Thanks for asking, Roy. I’m always happy to share the broad strokes and I talk about much of this publicly, although a detailed policing CV isn’t something I’m going to post here.
I started with Toronto Police in 2000 as an Auxiliary Officer at Traffic Services, later becoming an Auxiliary Sergeant at 32 Division. I also worked in Court Services as a Court Officer and supervisor. I served in both roles at the same time, working professionally within Court Services while continuing to give back as a volunteer Auxiliary Officer. That gave me a useful perspective on policing, the courts and how the different parts of the system interact before I transitioned to Police Officer.
As a Police Officer, I worked at 12 Division and Traffic Services in primary response, divisional traffic, collision response and investigation, Hit and Run, the Motor Squad, Traffic Safety Programs and Media Relations.
I was a Level 3 motorcycle operator and spent much of my career around the Motor Squad. I was also a collision scene photographer and worked closely with reconstructionists, breath technicians and other specialized investigators, although I was not myself a reconstructionist or breath technician.
Like most officers, I took a lot of courses over the years, but I don’t think a course list says all that much. I certainly wasn’t some sort of special ninja.
Traffic became my passion because it touches virtually everyone. It combines enforcement, investigation, legislation, road design, vehicle technology, education and community engagement, and there is always something more to learn.
Motorcycle operations, traffic safety, education and public engagement were always the parts of policing I loved most. Unfortunately, a motorcycle collision and resulting injury took me off the road earlier than I had planned. That changed the direction of my career and moved me into a more administrative role, first in Traffic Safety Programs and later Media Relations.
That part of my career gave me another very different perspective. I had the opportunity to work closely with outside agencies and other stakeholders, sit on committees, contribute to broader traffic safety initiatives, and learn from areas of policing and public safety that not every officer gets the opportunity to experience. It also led to opportunities to speak internationally about policing and social media.
Aside from the collision itself, I’m grateful for all of those experiences. My career didn’t end up following the path I originally imagined, but I’m very proud of the career I had and the different ways I was able to contribute.
