William J. McCormack
Encyclopedia
William J. McCormack was Chief of Police
Chief of police
A Chief of Police is the title typically given to the top official in the chain of command of a police department, particularly in North America. Alternate titles for this position include Commissioner, Superintendent, and Chief constable...

 of the Metro Toronto Police
Toronto Police Service
The Toronto Police Service , formerly the Metropolitan Toronto Police, is the police service for the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the largest municipal police service in Canada and second largest police force in Canada after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police...

 from 1989 to 1995. He succeeded Jack Marks
Jack Marks (police officer)
Jack Marks was a Canadian police officer.Marks was born in Toronto and became a Toronto police officer in 1951 after military service and a career as an electrician. Marks was working a night shift on December 31, 1956, when police forces across the city united to become one...

.

McCormack was born in Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...

. He went to sea and was a civilian crewmember on a ship that ferried troops to and from Korea during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

.

He is the son of a British Colonial Police colonel who was decorated with an MBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...

 by the King for his work with prison reform and children's polio.

The younger McCormack served as a Constable in Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...

 before coming to Canada and joining the Metropolitan Toronto Police.

Before becoming chief of police, he spent a number of years as a homicide detective in Toronto. Following his retirement, he detailed his experiences and some of his notable cases in a co-authored book.

Despite a seemingly hot and cold relationship with some factions of the media, McCormack was held in high regard by his officers, and to this day remains arguably the most popular Chief of Police in the history of Toronto.

He has five children, four of whom later became police officers. Michael is the current president
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...

 of the Toronto Police Association
Toronto Police Association
The Toronto Police Association , founded in 1944, is a labour organization representing the approximately 5,500 uniformed and 2,500 civilian members of the Toronto Police Service in Toronto, Canada...

, Kathy is an OPP
Ontario Provincial Police
The Ontario Provincial Police is the Provincial Police service for the province of Ontario, Canada.-Overview:The OPP is the the largest deployed police force in Ontario, and the second largest in Canada. The service is responsible for providing policing services throughout the province in areas...

 sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....

, and Jamie is a Toronto police detective. William Jr resigned from the Toronto police in 2009 following an internal misconduct investigation.

In 2007, he joined other former Toronto chiefs, including David Boothby
David Boothby
Chief David John Boothby, is the last Chief of police of the Metro Toronto Police 1995-1997. Chief Boothby has the unique distinction of being the first Chief chosen of the newly crested Toronto Police Service....

, Jack Marks
Jack Marks
Jack Marks was an English performer and screenwriter.He was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire.He began his career as a comedian, dancer and singer. He appeared before King George V and Queen Mary at the inaugural Royal Command Performance in London in 1912...

 and Julian Fantino
Julian Fantino
Julian Fantino is a retired police official and the elected Member of the Parliament of Canada for the riding of Vaughan following a November 29, 2010 by-election...

 at a 50th anniversary celebration of the Toronto Police Service at the headquarters building.

Awards

  • Police Exemplary Service Medal (1983)
  • Bar to the Police Exemplary Service Medal (1989)
  • Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (2002)

External links

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