The Toronto Police Service and Toronto Police Association have warned residents of the consequences they will face for assaulting a parking enforcement officer in light of an unprecedented surge in assaults.
There were six assaults on Toronto police parking enforcement officers in 2021 and 15 in 2022. Last year, however, 46 parking enforcement officers were assaulted. As of last week, 27 have been assaulted this year, an increase over the same period last year, the agencies said.
Toronto Chief of Police Myron Demkiw said that the rise is a “disturbing trend,” emphasizing that people need to be aware of the serious consequences that come with assaulting a parking enforcement officer.
“They could be charged with assaulting a peace officer, the same as if they had assaulted any uniformed police officer. These charges can lead to a conviction, imprisonment, fines, a criminal record, and prevent you from travelling or getting a job,” said Demkiw.
He reiterated that under the Criminal Code, assaulting a parking enforcement officer would result in the same charges as assaulting a police officer on duty.
He added that anyone thinking of resorting to violence over a parking ticket should think twice.
“Parking enforcement officers are civilian members doing an essential and challenging job for our city… The Toronto Police Service is committed, and I am committed, to ensuring their safety,” he said.
Toronto Police Association President Jon Reid said that his association, representing over 8,000 members of the Toronto Police Service and 370 parking enforcement officers, has safety as a top priority.
“They do not deserve to be cursed at, pushed, punched, let alone have to jump out of the way of a moving vehicle,” said Reid. “To risk jail for a $30 parking ticket is beyond anyone’s understanding. As a city, we must do better than this.”
Demkiw said that people struggling financially is one of the many interconnected issues that have led to increased polarization and violence in communities.
The Toronto Police mandated yearly training for parking enforcement officers, which began last year. The training consists of crisis communication training, occupational health and safety training, and de-escalation training.
“Stop assaulting our parking enforcement officers. If you do, let me be clear: there will be very, very serious consequences. We will do everything we can to hold people accountable when they assault our members,” said Demkiw.
Reid said that medical treatment for injuries sustained by parking enforcement officers was rare but that some members had been assaulted on numerous occasions.
“This must stop. If you get a parking notice, fight the ticket, not our officers,” said Reid.
The 370 uniformed civilian members in the parking enforcement unit cover Toronto’s 158 neighbourhoods. In 2023, Demkiw said they helped recover more than 1,100 stolen vehicles and facilitated more than 21,000 vehicles being towed. They also assisted officers with 16 arrests and provided support during 246 special events.