TORONTO — A married father of four was named the city's chief of police Monday — the first black officer to lead the $1-billion force — after an international search that led right back to headquarters.
At a news conference, the head of the Toronto Police Services Board named deputy chief Mark Saunders, a 32-year veteran of the force, as chief designate to take over from Bill Blair, whose second five-year contract was not renewed.
Saunders, 52, made it clear he didn't consider himself a token appointment, stressing that he is eminently qualified for the job.
"Being black is fantastic, it doesn't give me super powers," he joked.
"If you're expecting that all of a sudden that the earth will open up and miracles will happen, that's not going to happen."
What will happen, Saunders promised, is much more open dialogue than has happened in the past.
Saunders takes over at a time of tension over "carding" — a police practice of stopping people on the street for questioning. Visible minorities, especially black youth, have long complained they are disproportionately targeted for the stops — a complaint statistics have borne out.
He promised no immediate changes, but said community trust determines whether police succeed or fail.
It's important, he said, to ensure public safety but also to "minimize the collateral damage" while working toward bias-free policing that treats everyone with respect and dignity.
"You have my promise that I'll do everything in my power to provide that," he said.
Nellie Adekur-Carlson, chairwoman of the Network for the Elimination of Police Violence, expressed skepticism, saying Saunders has been in charge of programs that targeted blacks and other people of colour.
While many of those people view the appointment of a black police chief as a symbolic win, Adekur-Carlson said his real challenge will be to reach out to "occupied" communities that experience daily police harassment.
"It's one thing to promise the dialogue, but it's another thing to actually do it," she said.
Saunders will also feel pressure to rein in a budget of more than $1 billion for a force that comprises about 5,500 uniformed officers and another 2,500 civilians.
Blair, who gained national recognition for his clashes with former mayor Rob Ford, retires this week after the police services board refused a contract extension. He was also chief during the infamous G20 summit in June 2010 when police came under severe criticism for mass arrests and civil rights violations.
Mayor John Tory said Saunders was the board's unanimous choice to succeed Blair.
"The candidates from outside of the city underlined the excellence of the people that were from our own police service as candidates," Tory said.
Alok Mukherjee, the head of the police services board, called Saunders a credible and inspiring leader who is expected to bring "real change."
Saunders, whose children range in age from 10 to 26, was born in the U.K. to Jamaican parents and immigrated to Canada as a child.
He currently heads the special operations command with its 1,200 officers and 164 civilians, which includes the homicide squad, sex-crimes unit, and guns and gangs task force.
Saunders said the implications of his appointment as the first black to lead the force only sank in during a chat with his 10-year-old son.
"He said to me, 'You know, Dad, that's history and that's something they can never take away from you'," Saunders said.
Toronto homicide rate compared with other Canadian cities
Mark Saunders has been appointed Toronto's next police chief. He takes over at a time when crime in Canada's largest city is at a decline. Here's how the city's homicide rate compared to other Canadian cities in 2013, the latest data available:
Toronto: 1.34 per 100,000 people
Hamilton: 2.04 per 100,000 people
Regina: 3.84 per 100,000 people
Winnipeg: 3.24 per 100,000 people
Montreal: 1.08 per 100,000 people
Vancouver: 1.72 per 100,000 people
National average: 1.44 per 100,000 people
