BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY : AFRO-CANADIAN " MARK SAUNDERS " DEPUTY CHIEF OF TORONTO POLICE SERVICE AND CURRENTLY IN CHARGE OF SPECIALIZED OPERATION COMMAND : GOES INTO THE " HALL OF BLACK GENIUS "

 BLACK        SOCIAL        HISTORY                                                                                                           Mark Saunders

Deputy Chief

Specialized Operations Command

Deputy Chief Mark Saunders is in his 30th year with the Toronto Police Service and is currently in charge of Specialized Operations Command.

Prior to his promotion, he held the rank of Superintendent of 12 Division in the city’s west end. Before that, he was the Unit Commander of the Homicide Squad, which is the largest of its kind in Canada. Deputy Chief Saunders has also served in and has extensive investigative experience in the Professional Standards Unit, Urban Street Gang Unit, Intelligence, Drug Squad, Emergency Task Force and Divisional Policing.

As Deputy Chief of Specialized Operations Command, he oversees 1,258 police officers, 1,037 civilian members and manages a budget of $240 million. Specialized Operations Command is comprised of various investigative squads, and some of the Toronto Police Service’s most critically important units, which support Divisional Policing Command and work hand in hand with municipal, provincial and federal agencies.

Deputy Chief Saunders holds a diploma from Humber College, an Incident Command System Certificate from the Justice Institute of British Columbia, as well as being a Canadian Police College certified Chief Hostage Negotiator. Deputy Chief Saunders is committed to continuous, higher learning, and is furthering his educational studies as he is currently completing both a Justice Studies Bachelor of Arts degree at Guelph Humber University and courses at the University of Toronto.

Deputy Chief Saunders is highly committed to community service and involvement and serves as the co-chair of the Black Community Consultative Committee. In addition, he is a United Way Leadership Member.

Deputy Chief Saunders is a life-long resident of Toronto and is proudly raising his family here. Deputy Chief Saunders continues his personal commitment to provide inclusive, unbiased policing in order to foster and enhance the critically important relationship between the Toronto Police Service and the communities he serves.

Deputy Chief Saunders is the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal for Outstanding Community Contributions, the Police Exemplary Service Medal and the Black History Month Community Award.