Deputy Chief Mark Saunders speaks at press conference in Toronto (Reuters)
Toronto:
The first black police chief in Toronto, Canada’s largest city, abruptly announced his retirement on Monday, saying he would resign almost a year earlier on July 31, just days after leaving office. kneeling with protesters calling for police reform.
Mark Saunders said he plans to spend more time with his family and also hopes to work on community initiatives “close and dear” to him.
Toronto city council voted in August 2019 to extend Saunders’ contract until April 2021.
Saunders knelt down last week with protesters demonstrating against police brutality and denouncing the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, while detained by Minneapolis police.
He told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation last week that Floyd’s death had left him with a “horrible feeling” in his stomach.
“It still bothers me,” he said. “This is not what the police are trained for.”
Saunders has been with the Toronto Police Service for 37 years and has served as the Chief of Police since 2015.
“Working in a homicide … I see a lot of young black boys being killed by young black boys,” Saunders told reporters on Monday. “The police are dealing with these symptoms and I want to help cure the disease.”
Saunders, who suffered from kidney disease and underwent a transplant in 2017, said health was not a factor in his decision to retire.
“We will continue to see the benefits of his work on modernization and cultural change for years to come,” said Mayor John Tory in a statement.
On Monday, two Toronto city councilors introduced a motion to cut the city’s police budget by 10%, one councilor said in a tweet.
Calls for police funding are increasing in the United States and Canada, with Minneapolis City Council voting for the complete dismantling of its police forces.
Saunders said that if the funding were cut, “then there must be other agencies that meet the needs of the community. Otherwise, things would not work.”
(This story has not been edited by GalacticGaming staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
