Harold Adamson (police chief)
Encyclopedia
Harold Adamson was Chief
of the Metropolitan Toronto Police
in the 1970s and served as a police officer for 41 years until his retirement in 1980.
Adamson's first foray into law enforcement was at the age of 18 when he came across a burglar in his home and hit him with his lunch bucket. He joined the Scarborough
Police Department the next year.
In 1953, he came to public attention when, as a police inspector, he investigated the disappearance of Scarborough teenager Marion McDowell and organized what was then the largest manhunt in Toronto history for the missing girl. The case was never solved.
By 1956, Adamson was deputy chief of the department which was amalgamated with other Toronto area police forces to become the Metropolitan Toronto Police in 1957. In 1970 he became the new force's third chief. with the retirement of James Page Mackey
.
The police force in 1970s had to cope with a growing population, rising crime rate, and declining respect for authority. The Toronto Police faced public anger and charges of racism following the fatal shooting of Albert Johnson by a police officer in 1979. A royal commission
under Justice Donald Morand investigated the police during his tenure and found acts of police brutality
and police officers giving false testimony under oath.
Mel Lastman
, mayor of the Metropolitan Toronto
borough of North York
in the 1970s said that Adamson responded to complaints and "outlawed displays of bigotry on the force, instituted new procedures following the Morand report into allegations of police brutality and commissioned the Hickling Johnson Report on adapting to the future." Adamson also pushed to recruit more ethnic minorities to the police force and oversaw changes such as improving officer training, and expanding work among youth and in crime prevention.
Of being police chief, Adamson once said, "this is a job that will never give you a swelled head. I didn't accept it with any great degree of relish. It was very nice to be made chief of police, but I certainly knew I wasn't in for any picnic."
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 Metropolitan 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...
in the 1970s and served as a police officer for 41 years until his retirement in 1980.
Adamson's first foray into law enforcement was at the age of 18 when he came across a burglar in his home and hit him with his lunch bucket. He joined the Scarborough
Scarborough, Ontario
Scarborough is a dissolved municipality within the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it comprises the eastern part of Toronto. It is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the west by Victoria Park Avenue, on the north by Steeles Avenue East, and on the east by the Rouge River...
Police Department the next year.
In 1953, he came to public attention when, as a police inspector, he investigated the disappearance of Scarborough teenager Marion McDowell and organized what was then the largest manhunt in Toronto history for the missing girl. The case was never solved.
By 1956, Adamson was deputy chief of the department which was amalgamated with other Toronto area police forces to become the Metropolitan Toronto Police in 1957. In 1970 he became the new force's third chief. with the retirement of James Page Mackey
James Page Mackey
James Page Mackey was chief of the Metropolitan Toronto Police from 1958 to 1970 and the longest-serving Toronto police chief since the creation of the amalgamated police force in 1957....
.
The police force in 1970s had to cope with a growing population, rising crime rate, and declining respect for authority. The Toronto Police faced public anger and charges of racism following the fatal shooting of Albert Johnson by a police officer in 1979. A royal commission
Royal Commission
In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
under Justice Donald Morand investigated the police during his tenure and found acts of police brutality
Police brutality
Police brutality is the intentional use of excessive force, usually physical, but potentially also in the form of verbal attacks and psychological intimidation, by a police officer....
and police officers giving false testimony under oath.
Mel Lastman
Mel Lastman
Melvin Douglas "Mel" Lastman , nicknamed "Mayor Mel", is a former businessman and politician. He is the founder of the Bad Boy Furniture chain. He served as the mayor of the former city of North York, Ontario, Canada from 1972 until 1997. At the end of 1997, North York, along with five other...
, mayor of the Metropolitan Toronto
Metropolitan Toronto
The Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto was a senior level of municipal government in the Toronto, Ontario, Canada area from 1954 to 1998. It was created out of York County and was a precursor to the later concept of a regional municipality, being formed of smaller municipalities but having more...
borough of North York
North York, Ontario
North York is a dissolved municipality within the current city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it comprises the central part of the northern section of Toronto. As of the 2006 Census, it has a population of 635,370. The official 2001 census count was 608,288...
in the 1970s said that Adamson responded to complaints and "outlawed displays of bigotry on the force, instituted new procedures following the Morand report into allegations of police brutality and commissioned the Hickling Johnson Report on adapting to the future." Adamson also pushed to recruit more ethnic minorities to the police force and oversaw changes such as improving officer training, and expanding work among youth and in crime prevention.
Of being police chief, Adamson once said, "this is a job that will never give you a swelled head. I didn't accept it with any great degree of relish. It was very nice to be made chief of police, but I certainly knew I wasn't in for any picnic."