| Hamilton Police Service | |
|---|---|
 Logo of Hamilton Police Service | |
 Officialcoat of arms granted byCanadian Heraldic Authority | |
| Motto | Together. Stronger. Safer. |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | March 11, 1833 |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction | Canada |
| Legal jurisdiction | Hamilton, Ontario |
| Governing body | City of Hamilton Police Services Board |
| Constituting instrument | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | 155 King William Street Hamilton,Ontario,Canada L8N 4C1 |
| Sworn members | 829 |
| Unsworn members | 414 |
| Elected officer responsible | |
| Agency executive |
|
| Facilities | |
| Station / Divisions | 3 |
| Website | |
| hamiltonpolice | |
TheHamilton Police Service (HPS) is thepolice service of the city ofHamilton, Ontario, Canada. As of 2021, the service employed 829 sworn officers and 414 non-sworn staff, serving a population of about 570 000 residents.[1] The service's headquarters are located at 155 King William St., Hamilton, Ontario. As of 2022, the service's budget is $183 542 539, roughly 18.5% of the City's overall budget.[2] It is one of the oldest police forces in Ontario.
The Town of Hamilton was incorporated byUpper Canadian Parliament on February 13, 1833. On March 11 of that year, High Bailiff John Ryckman was appointed as Hamilton's first police officer.[3]
In 1848, neighbouringDundas raised its own municipal police force, followed two years later byAncaster.[3] The Township ofSaltfleet and Town ofStoney Creek followed suit in 1940 and 1949, respectively.[3]
On January 1, 1974,Wentworth County was reorganized to form theHamilton-Wentworth Regional Municipality, and these police forces, along with theOntario Provincial Police detachments covering the remainder of the county, were amalgamated to form the Hamilton-Wentworth Regional Police Force.[3]
In 1986, theHamilton Harbour Police, an unarmed special constabulary maintained by theHamilton Harbour Commission, was folded into the Hamilton Wentworth Regional Police Force.[4]
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In 1999,Lincoln Alexander, Ontario'slieutenant governor from 1985 to 1991 and Canada's first Black Member of Parliament, was named honorary chief of police of the Hamilton-Wentworth Regional Police Force.[5] When Alexander passed in 2012, his casket was carried by members of the Hamilton Police Honour Guard.
On January 1, 2001, the communities of Ancaster, Dundas, Flamborough, Glanbrook, Stoney Creek and Hamilton were amalgamated to form the new single-tier City of Hamilton. At the same time, the Hamilton-Wentworth Regional Police Force was renamed and reorganized to become the Hamilton Police Service.[3]
In 2010, Hamilton Police Sgt.John Harris won the Blue Line Police Leadership Award, given annually to a particularly outstanding Canadian police officer.[6]
The Hamilton Police Servicecoat of arms andcolours, standards and guidons were granted by theCanadian Heraldic Authority (created by Her Majesty theQueen Elizabeth II on the recommendation of His Excellency theGovernor General of Canada) November 15, 2007. The coat of arms is a version of the national coat of arms for municipal police services. It may be granted to any municipal police service which is part of a municipal corporation that possesses a coat of arms by lawful grant from the Crown. All such badges share a frame of gold maple leaves rising up from a representation of the provincial flower from the province in which the service is sited, all ensigned by the Royal Crown -St. Edward’s Crown.
There are many symbolic meanings to various parts of the Hamilton Police Service coat of arms. The exterior frame of maple leaves, the trillium, and St. Edward’s Crown follow the traditional style of police coats of arms for a municipal police service in Canada. The police service has the responsibility of upholding the peace and the administration of justice under the Canadian Crown. The Royal Crown, at the top of the coat of arms, symbolizes the administration of Crown’s justice, while the laurel of maple leaves andtrillium refer to Canada and Ontario respectively. The blue field represents the harbour of the City of Hamilton and the gold edges represent the city’s industry and wealth. The red maple leaf represents Canada. The two cinquefoils allude to the arms of the City of Hamilton in which such a cinquefoil also appears. The cinquefoil is taken from the arms of the Chief of Clan Hamilton, and it thus refers to the city's namesake. The coat of arms is included in thePublic Register of Arms, Flags and Badges of Canada.[7]
The symbolism of this emblem is found in other elements of this record
It was on May 12, 2008, that a special event was planned to unveil the Hamilton Police Service Grant of Arms and the consecration andtrooping the colour, the service’s first police colour. The grant of arms, more commonly known as acoat of arms incorporates symbolism reflecting the years of history and heritage of the Hamilton Police Service. A ‘colour’ is the ceremonial flag, with a specific registered design, awarded to the Hamilton Police Service by QueenElizabeth II, Queen of Canada. In Canada this is done through theGovernor General of Canada and theCanadian Heraldic Authority. The design incorporates very specific symbolic features. To consecrate a flag is to ceremonially dedicate it to the service of the men and women, officers and civilians, of the Hamilton Police Service. The consecration making the flag a visible symbol of the years which have passed since the Service was created, and emblematic of the years to come. It is meant to serve as an inspiration for the future, and is a silent challenge to the future members to meet and exceed the achievements of those who have come before them. In a ceremony steeped in protocol and pageantry, the colour was consecrated by a drumhead service.
The logo, similar to the heraldic crest, was developed by a police committee when the Hamilton-Wentworth Regional Police became the Hamilton Police Service. It is the logo that appears on marked patrol vehicles, signage, letterhead, etc.
The blue oval at the top of the red maple leaf represents the Hamilton Harbour, the six veins of the red maple leaf represent the six former municipalities, the veins of the leaf extending into the blue oval illustrate inclusiveness of the community, the gold trim around the maple leaf represents the wealth of industry, natural resources, business and community partnerships, the two blue waves at the bottom of the leaf represent the vision to be the best and most progressive police service.
Like all municipalities in Ontario, the City of Hamilton maintains a police services board, responsible for overseeing policing services in the City.[8] The board approves the police budget, hires the chief and deputy chiefs of police directly, and is the legal employer of every Hamilton Police employee.[8] Although the board sets overall service policy and direction, it has no operational control over the service or its officers, and day-to-day policing decisions are the exclusive jurisdiction of the police chief.
The board is composed of seven members: the mayor (or their designate); two city councillors; one member of the public appointed by city council; and three members of the public appointed by the province.[8] As of 2024, it consisted of:
| Name | Position | Appointed by |
|---|---|---|
| Pat Mandy | Chair | Provincial Appointee |
| Fred Bennink | Vice-chair | Provincial Appointee |
| Andrea Horwath | Member | Hamilton City Council member |
| Geordie Elms | Member | Provincial Appointee |
| Cameron Kroetsch | Member | Hamilton City Council member |
| Esther Pauls | Member | Hamilton City Council member |
| Anjali Menezes | Member | Municipal Appointee |
In addition to maintaining the Hamilton Police Service, the Board is responsible for approving and overseeing special constabularies that operate in the City. Currently, there is only one special constabulary operating in the City of Hamilton that falls under the jurisdiction of the Board, the McMaster University Campus Security Service.[9]
Historically, the Board was responsible for two other special constabularies in Hamilton: the Harbour Police and Parks Police. The Parks Police force was disbanded in 1963, in response to union-mandated wage hikes,[10] while the Harbour Police force was amalgamated into the Hamilton-Wentworth Regional Police Force in 1986.[4]
| Rank | Commanding officers | Senior officers | Police officers | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief of police | Deputy chief of police | Superintendent | Inspector | Staff sergeant | Sergeant | Constable | |||
| Insignia (slip-on) |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||
| Insignia (shoulder board) | .png) | .png) | .png) | .png) | Shoulder boards not used for these ranks | ||||
Criminal investigators for the Hamilton Police hold the ranks of Detective Constable and Detective Sergeant which are equivalent to Sergeant and Staff Sergeant, respectively.[11]
Unlike other Ontario police services, all Hamilton Police officers wear shields on their chest. Members at the rank of Sergeant and above have their rank listed on the badge in a blue oval, and members at the rank of Inspector and above have gold shields.
The Hamilton Police Service operates out of three police stations: Central, which covers the northwestern portion of the old City of Hamilton; East End, which covers the southeastern portion of the old City of Hamilton and the entirety of the old Town of Stoney Creek; and Mountain, which covers the remainder of the amalgamated City of Hamilton.[12]
The ACTION Team (Assessing Crime Trends In Our Neighbourhoods) was launched in 2010, in response to crime and safety concerns in downtown Hamilton.[13] The Team was later expanded to include five teams of seven officers,[14] and by 2016, had made 5 000 arrests and issued 23 000 tickets.[13] As of 2023, the Team is deployed across the City of Hamilton in response to safety concerns or crime spikes, and conducts patrols on foot or by bicycle.[15]
It has faced criticism for using a quota-based model for its policing strategy, and in 2015, five members of the team were charged criminally for making, counting, but never issuing bogus tickets to inflate their ticket statistics.[14] The Team's use of random street checks (popularly referred to as "carding") attracted particular criticism from community advocates and City councillors, who cited statistics that showed that racialized Hamiltonians were disproportionately carded by the Team.[16] The practice was banned by the provincial government in 2017.[17]
Theauxiliary police were established in the early 1960s as a response to societal changes.[citation needed] Civil unrest throughout the world had the police service question its ability to deal with large-scale chaos. The principal goal was to create an auxiliary force made up of volunteer, unpaid officers who could be called upon to assist the regular force if problems were ever to arise. The auxiliary police are required to go through various training seminars, as well as maintain a high degree of physical fitness. Although in uniform, they function under very strict guidelines and do not substitute for regular officers. Instead, they assist in the processes when constables required a large, organized support.
The auxiliary police work at parades or during long weekends, at rallies, or large events where police presence is required on a larger scale than usual. They are identified with a shoulder flash that says 'auxiliary'. They also wear a traditional light-blue shirt whereas sworn officers wear navy blue uniforms.
The first known record of dogs being used in policing the Hamilton community was in 1878, when an old stray dog the officers named "Bob" was taken in and routinely brought on night patrol to accompany an officer named Constable Ferris on his beat. Bob was not trained for special tasks, but often acted as a deterrent to those who had the potential to create trouble.[citation needed]
In 1960 the Hamilton Police Department acquired two dogs with the intent of training them for special circumstances. Hamilton Police had the second municipal canine unit in Canada. Their names were Sandy and King.[citation needed] The dogs were used for many functions which made the officers’ jobs safer and easier. Due to their keen senses, dogs were trained to track suspects or missing persons, search buildings, and to locate weapons and bombs. They were also trained to disarm criminals threatening the life of an officer. The dogs used aspolice dogs were for the most partGerman Shepherds. They are used because of their fierce loyalty, relatively even temperament, imposing physical presence and easy trainability.
The dogs train with a constable who is responsible for the dog both on and off the job. They live with officers' families which allows a constant relationship between the dogs and their handlers to develop. Much of the time, the dogs are in training to maintain the skills they have acquired. Today Hamilton Police deploy four police service dogs (PSD). Each dog is trained in human scent detection and tracking. PSDs are also used for drug detection, firearms and currency. Hamilton Police also deploy a PSD for explosives detection.[citation needed]
Hamilton has had one PSD killed in the line of duty - PSD Troy killed February 25, 1992 (shot by a suspect during an apprehension).[citation needed]
The Crisis Response Unit consists of three specialized units that respond to different niches of social disorder: the Crisis Support & Outreach Team; the Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Team; and the Social Navigation Program.[18]
The Crisis Support & Outreach Team (COAST) is a partnership between the Hamilton Police Service, Halton Regional Police Service, andSt. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, and serves residents in need of long-term mental health supports. The Team is responsible for connecting clients to care options, helping clients complete mental health assessments in partnership with police, and providing urgent, over-the-phone crisis support to the client and their caregivers and family members.[19]
Like COAST, the Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Team is a partnership between the Hamilton Police Service, Halton Regional Police Service, andSt. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, and is responsible for responding to urgent crisis calls made to 9-1-1 between the hours of 8 AM and 4 AM, seven days a week.[20] The teams consist of a uniformed, specially-trained officer and a mental health professional responding together in a marked police cruiser.[21] After the teams attend an incident, clients are connected to COAST for follow-up care.[20]
The Social Navigation Program is a partnership between the Police Service and the Hamilton Paramedic Service, and is responsible for providing street support to marginalized and homeless Hamiltonians.[22] The program connects clients with long-term care and services in partnership with a variety of social service providers in an effort to reduce the load on the judicial and hospital system.[18] Unlike COAST, however, the program connects with clients at the point of police contact, as opposed to at the client's request.
During the1972 Summer Olympics inMunich, West Germany, a terrorist attack was carried out against elevenIsraeli Olympic team and delegation members who were killed along with a German police officer. The attack became known as theMunich Massacre. This attack prompted police agencies around the world to examine their capabilities in addressing such an attack of terrorism. As a result of international incidents ofhostage takings like the one in Munich, plus other firearms related incidents in Canada and abroad, Chief Gordon Torrance had been planning to form a special unit to deal with high risk situations.[citation needed] The1976 Summer Olympics were to be held in Montreal, Quebec. From June 23 to July 3, 1976, Hamilton was to be the host of the Pre-Olympics Basketball Tournament.[citation needed] Thirteen countries would be represented at that tournament, including Israel. The Munich Massacre was still fresh on the minds of those planning security for this event.
In September 1975, the chief issued a policy and procedure to deal with armed and barricaded persons. On Monday, November 3, 1975, Paul Lariviere of Champlain St., Hamilton, exchanged gunfire with Hamilton Police from his residence. An officer who had arevolver eventually killed him. Lariviere was found to have two rifles in his apartment.[citation needed] This incident was a catalyst for the Hamilton Police Service to form a specialized unit. On November 8, 1975, a decision was made by Chief Torrance to form a tactical unit that would begin training in January 1976. The unit was to be based on the concept of theNew York City Police DepartmentSWAT. The unit was known as "TEAM" which stood for ‘tactical emergency assault men’.[citation needed]
The mandate of the TEAM was to attain a peaceful ending to police calls involving hostage-taking, gun and other weapon-related incidents. Five TEAM officers were initially sent to the Anti-Sniper and Survival School at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. They also took on the responsibility of explosives disposal (EDU) and received this training through theRoyal Canadian Mounted Police. The fifteen-man unit became operational on June 13, 1976. When the first female officer became a member of the unit, the name was changed to the emergency response unit (ERU). ERU members are trained to handle a variety of weapons, deal with dangerous, high-risk situations, and are utilized when entering a premises for the execution of search warrants.[citation needed]
The Marine Unit was established in 1921 as the Hamilton Harbour Police, an unarmedspecial constabulary maintained by theHamilton Harbour Commission.[4] The Harbour Police were responsible for marine safety across the Hamilton Harbour and for security policing on Commission-owned properties, a responsibility it maintained until 1986, when the constabulary was disbanded, with the security division privatized and the harbour policing division amalgamated into the Hamilton-Wentworth Regional Police.[4]
In 1996, the Hamilton-Wentworth Regional Police entered into an agreement with the neighbouringHalton Regional Police Service to share a marine unit. This agreement was terminated in 2008, and the Halton Regional Police moved its marine unit to theBronte Harbour.[citation needed]
Today, the Unit is responsible for patrolling the Hamilton Harbour, the entirety of the City's waterfront, and all inland waterways.[23] The Unit actively patrols from mid-April until mid-November. In the off-season, it responds to calls for service on an as-requested basis.
In 2011, the Unit, with assistance from the Halton Regional Police, rescued a group of high-school rowers caught in a freak storm.[24] Five Hamilton Police officers received the Rescue of the Year award from the Canadian Safe Boating Council for their work.[25]
The mounted patrol unit (MPU) was formed in September 2009 and consists of five horses and six officers.[citation needed] The priorities of the MPU are to heighten the service’s ability to accomplish:
MPU offers coverage throughout the city of Hamilton with rotating day, afternoon and night shifts.
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Police cars, also known as police cruisers are the most common vehicle used by the Hamilton Police Service. The vehicles are numbered in regards to their division and car number. For example, 710-1 represents that the vehicle is from division 1 (central), and the preceding 710 is the vehicle designation number. Vehicles assigned to uniformed patrol begin with a 7 for a car and a 6 for asport utility vehicle. Specialty units such as ERU and canine begin with a 9.
| Make/model | Type | Status | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fordpolice interceptor | (marked) General patrol vehicle, traffic enforcement |  Canada | |
| Ford Taurus | (marked) General patrol vehicle, traffic enforcement |  United States | |
| Ford Explorer | (marked) General patrol vehicle | United States | |
| Dodge Charger (LX) | (marked) General patrol vehicle, traffic enforcement | Canada | |
| Harley-Davidson FLHTP | Police motorcycle | United States |
| Make/model | Type | Status | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| DodgeMercedes-Benz Sprinter | Van—collision reconstruction, forensics |  Germany | |
| Fordambulance | FormerCity of Hamilton EMS converted to forensics lab | United States | |
| GMC Savanna | Van—emergency response unit | United States | |
| Chevrolet Express van | Van-emergency response unit | United States | |
| Ford Explorer | (un-marked) Canine unit | United States | |
| Ford Expedition | (un-marked) Canine unit | retired | United States |
| Chevrolet Silverado | SUV—marine unit | United States | |
| FordF350 | pickup truck with horses trailer — mounted mnit | United States | |
| Terradyne Armored Vehicles Inc./Gurkha MPV — usingF-550 chassis | Tactical armoured vehicle—emergency response unit | Canada | |
| Ford F-series orGMC Vandura trucks | Prisoner transportation services court wagons | Canada | |
| Ford van | van RIDE | United States |
| Unit No. | Make/model | Type | Status | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marine II | Zodiac Pro 870 | 28'rigid-hulled inflatable boat patrol and rescue vessel. | United States | |
| Marine III | Bombard Commando C4 | 14'rigid-hulled inflatable boat with 30 hp mercury outboard |  France | |
| Argo | ARGO (ATV manufacturer) | All-terrainamphibious vehicle | Canada | |
| ROV | VideoRay UROVs Pro 3 | Remotely operated underwater vehicle | United States |
| Make/model | Type | Status | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bell JetRanger | Helicopter | 1999 pilot project shared withHalton Regional Police Service &Peel Regional Police. | Canada |
| Make/model | Type | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Norco Bicycles | mountain bike RETIRED | Canada |
| Aquila Bicycle Company | mountain bike RETIRED | Canada |
| Specialized Bicycle Components | mountain bike RETIRED | United States |
| Cannondale Bicycle Corporation | mountain bike RETIRED | United States |
| Kona Bicycle Company | mountain bike RETIRED | Canada |
| Trek Bicycle Company | mountain bike RETIRED | Canada |
| Stevenson Bicycle Company | mountain bike RETIRED | Canada |
| Scott's Bicycle Company | mountain bike (2017 to present) | Canada |
| Trek Bicycle Company | mountain bike (2022 to present) | Canada |
In the 1990s, the majority oflaw enforcement agencies of Canada began wearingbulletproof vests and municipal police agencies started carrying semi-automatichandguns in the9mm or.40 S&W calibrecartridge. The Hamilton Police carryGlock 22 handguns with hollow-point.40 S&W calibre ammunition.
These firearms replaced the aging.38 Specialrevolver. Apolice cruiser might carry aRemington Model 870shotgun capable of firing a variety ofshotgun shells. In 2018 patrol officers began carryingcarbine rifles.
Otherless-lethal weapons carried include conductedelectroshock weapons,pepper spray, andexpandable batons. In addition, the personal equipment of police officers typically includes:handcuffs, flashlights,portable radios,notebooks, and a pair ofdisposable gloves andKevlargloves.
The emergency response unit (ERU) members are issued Glock handguns with9 mm calibre ammunition. They also use a variety of less-lethal weapons such asflexible baton rounds. Other weapons that have been used by ERU include:
