David J. Boothby (born 1944) is a retired Canadian police officer who served as the final chief of the

Metro Toronto Police The Toronto Police Service (TPS) is a municipal police force in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and the primary agency responsible for providing law enforcement and policing services in Toronto. Established in 1834, it was the first local police se ...

from 1995 to 1997, and once the Metro Toronto Police was amalgamated into

Toronto Police Service The Toronto Police Service (TPS) is a municipal police force in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and the primary agency responsible for providing law enforcement and policing services in Toronto. Established in 1834, it was the first local police se ...

, he served as its chief until his retirement in 2000. Boothby was born in

Keswick, Ontario Keswick () is a community located in the Canadian province of Ontario. Situated in Cook's Bay on Lake Simcoe, north of Toronto. Keswick is part of the Township of Georgina, the northernmost municipality in the Regional Municipality of York. I ...

. He joined the then Metro Toronto Police in 1964 as a beat officer and became a homicide

detective A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads the ...

in 1978.

Career

Prior to becoming police chief, Boothby was the unit commander or superintendent of 52 Division, the division that covered much of the downtown business and residential area from Spadina to Jarvis, the Lake to south of Summerhill. The gay community's village of Church and Wellesley was within the Division's boundaries. He was instrumental in beginning a dialogue between the lesbian and gay communities and the police force; a force that had a violent history in dealing with the gay and lesbian community especially after the bathhouse raids of 5 February 1981. He established a Church/Wellesley foot patrol and a series of sensitivity training sessions for his patrol staff. Community policing was an integral part of his approach to the police service. Boothby's rise to the chief's post was seen as a change from the style of William J. McCormack, but he had a difficult time with the Toronto Police union president

Craig Bromell Craig Bromell (born 1959 in Oshawa) is a Canadian radio personality and former police officer. Prior to his broadcast career, Bromell served as president of the Toronto Police Association from 1997 to 2003. In that position, he was often at odds ...

. His management style was seen by some as soft and was suspected to contribute to his departure from the force. He was succeeded by

Julian Fantino Julian Fantino, , (; born August 13, 1942) is a Canadian retired police official and former politician. He was the Conservative Party of Canada Member of the Parliament of Canada for the riding of Vaughan following a November 29, 2010 by-ele ...

in 2000. Since 2000, Boothby has been involved in various charities and local associations: * member of the Canadian National Sportsmen's Shows Board of Directors * Consultant, Giesecke & Devrient Card Security * Task Force Member for the Ministry of Public Safety and Security Task Force on Reform and Correctional Services * Chair of Jake's House for Children with Autism Board of Directors * President of the West Side Pine Lake Cottagers Association

Honours

Boothby has received the following honours: *

Police Exemplary Service Medal The Police Exemplary Service Medal () is a Canadian service medal for police officers. The medal honours 20 years of full-time exemplary service by police officers serving with one or more recognized Canadian police forces. The medal may also be ...

(awarded on May 22, 1985) ** First bar (awarded on August 26, 1996) * Fire Services Exemplary Service Medal (awarded on October 2, 1998) *

Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal () or the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2002 to mark the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal was ...

(awarded in 2002)

References

* 1944 births Toronto police chiefs Living people {{law-enforcement-bio-stub