Myron Demkiw
{{Short description|Canadian police officer}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Myron Demkiw
| honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=CAN|MOM|size=100%}}
| image = Myron Demkiw Toronto 2024.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Demkiw in 2024
| office = Chief of the Toronto Police Service
| term_start = December 19, 2022
| term_end =
| predecessor = James Ramer (interim)
| successor =
| office1 = Deputy Chief of the Toronto Police Service (Specialized Operations Command)
| term_start1 = August 2020
| term_end1 = December 2022
| predecessor1 =
| successor1 =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth based on age as of date|56|2022|12|19}}{{Cite web |date=December 19, 2022 |title=@TorontoPolice Chief Myron Demkiw News Conference {{!}} TPS Headquarters {{!}} Monday, December 19th, 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/live/K8_NCGoT3TI?feature=share&t=870 |access-date=August 5, 2023 |website=YouTube |publisher=Toronto Police Service |at=14:30 |format=video}}
| birth_place = Toronto, Canada
| death_date =
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| citizenship =
| spouse =
| children =
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| residence =
| alma_mater = University of Toronto (BA, 1989; GPLLM, 2020)
| profession = Police officer
| awards =
| module = {{Infobox police officer | embed = yes
| service_label =
| service =
| allegiance =
| department = Toronto Police Service
| branch =
| serviceyears = 1990–present
| status =
| rank = Chief of Police
| badge =
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| status =
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}}
Myron Demkiw {{post-nominals|country=CAN|MOM}} is a Canadian police officer who has been the chief of police with the Toronto Police Service (TPS) since December 19, 2022.
Early life and education
Demkiw was born in Toronto, Ontario, to Ukrainian parents.{{cite news |last1=Kolos |first1=Bohdan |title=Myron Demkiw, the new Chief of Police in Toronto |url=https://newpathway.ca/myron-demkiw-the-new-chief-of-police-in-toronto/ |access-date=January 14, 2023 |work=New Pathway Ukrainian News |date=January 6, 2023}} He attended St. Michael’s College School, graduating in 1985, before completing a bachelor’s degree in political science and criminology at the University of Toronto in 1989.{{Cite web |date=2022-09-15 |title=Who is Myron Demkiw, Toronto's new chief of police? |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2022/09/15/who-is-myron-demkiw-the-new-chief-of-police.html |access-date=2022-09-22 |website=thestar.com |language=en}} In 2019, he returned to the University of Toronto, completing the Global Professional Master of Laws (GPLLM) program in 2020. He is also a graduate of the Police Leadership Program with Rotman School of Management.{{Cite web |title=Myron Demkiw - Toronto Police Service |url=https://www.tps.ca/people/myron-demkiw/ |access-date=2022-09-22 |website=www.tps.ca}}
Career
Demkiw joined the Metro Toronto Police in 1990, the year after he completed his bachelor's degree.
Five years into his career in 1995, Demkiw was nearly killed while working in plain clothes by a man who attempted to shoot him with a handgun.
In 2000, he participated in a raid of a lesbian bathhouse, resulting in six Liquor Licence Act charges, which were later dismissed when a court ruled the initial raid unreasonable two years later. Councillor Kyle Rae accused the TPS of trying to ogle naked women, and was sued by Demkiw and six fellow officers for defamation.{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Eleanor |date=November 15, 2000 |title=Cops sue Kyle Rae |url=https://xtramagazine.com/power/cops-sue-kyle-rae-46658 |access-date=2022-09-22 |website=xtramagazine.com}} Rae was ordered to pay the officers $170,000.{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Graeme |date=2002-06-19 |title=Councillor found guilty of defamation |language=en-CA |work=The Globe and Mail |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/councillor-found-guilty-of-defamation/article1024219/ |access-date=2022-09-22}} As part of a human rights settlement from that raid in 2004, the Toronto Police Service enhanced efforts to recruit gay officers, adopt a gender-sensitive policy and paid $350,000 to the complainants.
Demkiw became an inspector in 2011, before being promoted to superintendent five years later and staff superintendent in 2018.{{Cite web |title=Experience {{!}} Myron Demkiw, M.O.M. {{!}} Linkedin |url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/myrondemkiw/details/experience/ |access-date=September 22, 2022 |website=LinkedIn}} He held a number of management roles including duty senior officer, unit commander of Intelligence Services, leading Detective Operations, heading Corporate Risk Management, and as second in command of 32 Division. In the wake of the Bruce McArthur serial homicides case, he oversaw the creation of the Missing Persons Unit.{{Cite web |last=Brockbank |first=Nicole |date=October 19, 2018 |title=Toronto police create first-ever missing persons unit in wake of McArthur investigation |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/police-missing-persons-unit-1.4868612 |website=CBC News}}
In 2020, he became acting deputy chief of specialized operations command, where he would oversee Public Safety Operations and Detective Operations.
= Chief of Police =
On September 15, 2022, the Toronto Police Services Board (TPSB) announced that Demkiw would be the city's next chief of police. He started as chief of police on December 19, 2022, taking over from James Ramer, who served as interim chief for two years following the resignation of Mark Saunders.{{Cite web |last=Jackson |first=Hannah |date=September 15, 2022 |title=Toronto police name Myron Demkiw as new chief - Toronto {{!}} Globalnews.ca |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/9131820/toronto-police-new-chief-myron-demkiw/ |access-date=2022-09-22 |website=Global News |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Casaletto |first=Lucas |date=September 15, 2022 |title=Myron Demkiw named as new Toronto police chief |url=https://toronto.citynews.ca/2022/09/15/myron-demkiw-toronto-police-chief-james-ramer/ |access-date=2022-09-22 |website=toronto.citynews.ca}}{{Cite news |last=Braun |first=Liz |date=September 15, 2022 |title=Myron Demkiw named next Toronto Police chief |url=https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/myron-demkiw-named-next-toronto-police-chief |access-date=2022-09-22 |newspaper=Toronto Sun |language=en-CA}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Toronto Police Chiefs}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramer, James}}
Category:Toronto police chiefs
Category:Canadian people of Ukrainian descent
Category:Members of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces