Antisemitism, racism hurting Toronto Police culture, former homicide chief says
· Toronto Sun
Owning one of the most spectacular clearance rates among North American homicide teams didn’t spare the Toronto Police unit’s famed chief Hank Idsinga from the bitter bite of antisemitism, according to the former officer.
Now retired, Idsinga put away some of the city’s most notorious criminals and solved its most vexing cases. In 2019 and 2021, Toronto Life named him one of Toronto’s most influential people.
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But even with plaudits from police services around the world as clearance rates soared to more than 80% (in Chicago, cops are lucky to solve 50%), he says the bigger battle was brewing at police headquarters.
Hank Idsinga is spilling the beans
The 58-year-old is now spilling the beans on the Toronto Police and what he said is its troubling culture of antisemitism and racism. His book on his 34-year career, The High Road: Confessions of a Homicide Cop, is available Tuesday.
“What people have to keep in mind is the TPS is reflective of our society; people shouldn’t be surprised by what’s in the book,” Idsinga recently told the Toronto Sun.
Idsinga — whose Jewish grandfather perished in the Holocaust — said his half-Jewish heritage drove him to be “one of the good guys.” That monumental tragedy also made him more attuned to the things he was seeing and hearing,
He said one supervisor was allegedly a misogynistic , racist, incompetent blowhard. He once heard the brass hat snap, “f—ing Jews,” the veteran homicide investigator said. That kind of attitude stretches beyond the boardroom, he said.
Influencing hate crime probes
It stops crimes from being solved.
“A person like that should not be in the position when they can affect the responsibilities of the police service, which is solving crimes,” Idsinga said. “People like that can influence what happens to hate crime investigations and they carry it out on the street.
“They can determine what crimes are investigated and the ones that are not.”
Since the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that killed 1,300 people, there has been heightened criticism of TPS brass for their handling of anti-Israeli protests. In some instances, crimes have been committed by the protesters in front of cops but seemingly nothing appears to have been done.
“The senior officers were in command post-Oct. 7 and with all the protests going on,” Idsinga told CBC News. “People are scratching their heads and asking, ‘Why aren’t the police doing anything? Why are we not seeing a response?'”
He added: “And when it’s this particular community that’s being victimized … that might explain some of it right there and then.”
They are crimes that taxpayers would never get away with.
“I don’t go around telling people my grandfather was a Holocaust victim. People, when they don’t know my background, perhaps let their guard down a little,” he said.
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But Idsinga tells the chilling story of one high-ranking officer’s overt antisemitism. This cop allegedly said of one officer, according to Idsinga, “The only reason he gets away with it is because he’s a f—ing Jew.”
“Once on the way to lawyer’s office, this same officer said, ‘I can’t believe we have to pander to this f—ing Jew.” And that really was a seminal moment. I was pretty sure you’re a Jew hater, but now I’m positive you’re a Jew hater.”
Idsinga — who put away serial killers Bruce McArthur and Mark Moore — said corruption in the TPS is part of the culture. He said he has seen officers walk out of promotion boards because of who does the judging.
And as Idsinga and his detectives pounded the homicide clearance rate into dust, there was nary a whisper from upstairs.
“It was childish,” Idsinga told CBC News.
Police decline to comment on allegations
In a statement to the Toronto Sun on Wednesday afternoon, Toronto Police said they “will not comment on allegations being made as part of a book promotion,” adding its professional standards unit has contacted Idsinga directly and invited him to be interviewed regarding the content of his allegations “for the purpose of investigation.”
“These are very serious claims, and notably, ones he did not raise through any of the formal channels available to him during his time with the service,” they said.
There are “established mechanisms” for members to report concerns, the statement said, adding Idsinga “chose not to use them. We hope he will now.
“Thousands of TPS members show up every day to serve this city,” the statement said. “It’s unfortunate that in retirement, Mr. Idsinga has chosen to make claims that will undermine public trust in policing and diminish the work they continue to do every day.”
X : @HunterTOSun