| Durham Regional Police Service | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Motto | Leaders in Community Safety |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 1974 |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction | Canada |
| Constituting instrument | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Whitby, Ontario |
| Sworn members | 904 |
| Unsworn members | 307 |
| Elected officer responsible | |
| Agency executive |
|
| Divisions | 5 |
| Facilities | |
| Police cars | 398 |
| Police boats | 2 |
| Helicopters | 1 |
| Dogs | 8 police service dogs |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
TheDurham Regional Police Service (DRPS) is thepolice service operated by and serving theRegional Municipality of Durham,Ontario,Canada. The DRPS has a strength of over 900 sworn officers and over 300 unsworn members, and serves the following local municipalities, with a combined population of 706,200:
The DRPS was formed in 1974 through the amalgamation of six local police forces in the area, coinciding with the establishment of the Regional Municipality of Durham:
The Durham Regional Police Service is led by:[1]
Operational Support Command)
Crime Command)
Durham Regional Police Headquarters is inWhitby, Ontario at the Regional Municipality of Durham Headquarters building. Budgeted expenditures for DRPS in Durham Region's 2020 budget were $241.4million[2]
In October 2008, the Durham Regional Police Service was named one of "Canada's Top 100 Employers" by Mediacorp Canada Inc. and was featured inMaclean's newsmagazine. Later that month, it was also named one ofGreater Toronto's Top Employers, which was announced by theToronto Star newspaper.[3]
Durham Regional Police is a member ofOALEP.[clarification needed]
In late May 2019, after a request by theMinistry of the Solicitor General (Ontario), theOntario Civilian Police Commission issued an order that appointed a retired Toronto deputy chief, Mike Federico, as administrator to oversee the force during the OCPC investigation[4] after some of the senior ranks were alleged to have been corrupt and of an abuse of power. As of May 24, 2019, none of the allegations had been proven.[5][6] Federico’s responsibilities were to include "approving promotions and overseeing all internal discipline".[7] The allegations were first brought to light in an April 19 report in theToronto Star; at the time, a lawyer representing Chief Paul Martin said the allegations are "false and defamatory".[8] Martin announced on 9 July 2020 that he would be retiring from the Service effective September 2020.[9]
The day-to-day and regional operations are commanded by senior officers:
In 2014, the Durham Regional Police Service had an authorized strength of 871 sworn members and 331 civilians.[10]
Some of the units within the force are:
The force is organized into several divisions:
The Durham Regional Police Service is one of twoGreater Toronto Area police forces withpolice aviation capabilities, the other being theYork Regional Police. They operate oneBell 206B-3 helicopter (callsign "AIR1") and delivered in 2003.[11] DRP Air Unit began in 2000 with a leased Bell Jet Ranger helicopter after shared a helicopter withYork Regional Police[12] for a two years pilot trial[13] and was the Greater Toronto Region first police force to operate helicopters.[14]
Some vehicles bear the motto "Leaders in Community Safety".
The Tactical Support Unit is responsible for handling dangerous situations not handled by regular uniformed officers. The Durham Regional Police TSU also has a mutual-aid agreement with the York Regional Police Emergency Response Unit. In the event of a large-scale event, or an incident that could take a significant amount of time, both departments provide assistance to one another.
The marine unit is responsible for the enforcement of three bodies of water in the region: Lake Ontario, Lake Scugog, and Lake Simcoe. They also police the area of and around Beaverton, Thorah Island, and parts of the Trent-Severn Waterway. Members of the marine unit are specially trained for marine enforcement and rescue duties, including ice rescue. The unit is attached to the traffic enforcement unit.
The Durham Regional Police Marine Unit also has a mutual aid agreement with theToronto Police Service for Lake Ontario as well as side-scan sonar and ROV, and with the York Regional Police for Lake Simcoe as well as side-scan sonar and diver services. In the event of a large-scale event, or a call-out that could take a significant amount of manpower, these police services provide mutual assistance to one another.
The Marine Unit consists of one officer, active during the summer months. Durham Police do not patrol the water ways during the off season and winter months.
Additional SAR support provided byPARA-Marine Search and Rescue, and COMRACanadian Coast Guard andCanadian Forces 424 Squadron (air support from CFB Trenton).[15]
The DRPS crest is used on vehicles, headgear and uniforms, and consists ofSt. Edward's Crown over a round blue shield with the legend "Durham Regional Police" in white, encircling a red maple leaf overlaid with goldscales of justice. The crest is based on that of the formerCity of Oshawa police department, with the maple leaf and scales replacing the city's coat of arms.
Officers are issuedGlock .40 caliber pistols.[16]