The Toronto Police Service Board (TPSB) has requested an independent inspection into retired homicide detective Hank Idsinga’s allegations of racism and antisemitism within the ranks at Toronto Police Service (TPS).
Idsinga’s new memoir, ‘The High Road: Confessions Of A Homicide Cop’ included disturbing recounts of “racism and dysfunction” within TPS during his storied career.
In a statement, TPS Board Chair Shelley Carroll said the Board has formally requested Ontario’s Inspectorate of Policing to consider an expedited inspection relating to the allegations and “broader organizational culture issues within the Toronto Police Service.”
Idsinga said he personally experienced antisemitism on the job, and questioned whether the public could be treated fairly by police, considering the entrenched biases he witnessed.
“The Board has heard clearly from members of Toronto’s Jewish community that these concerns need to be examined independently and credibly,” said Carroll.
“Residents should never have to question whether they’ll be treated fairly because of who they are or what community they belong to. People need confidence that policing in Toronto is professional, impartial, and free from bias.”
“The Inspectorate exists specifically to examine systemic policing concerns through an independent process grounded in expertise, accountability, and public confidence,” Carroll added. “That makes it the appropriate mechanism for this work.”
Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw issued a statement of support for the pending inspection.
“The Toronto Police Service takes any allegation of antisemitism and racism extremely seriously. We will support the work of the Inspector General requested by the Toronto Police Service Board,” he wrote.
“As previously announced, I directed our Professional Standards Unit to investigate the recent allegations. Earlier this week, I also asked the Law Enforcement Complaints Agency (LECA) to review the allegations and determine whether further investigation is appropriate, consistent with its role under the Community Safety and Policing Act.
“The Toronto Police Service is committed to member wellness and respectful workplaces.”
In his memoir, Idsinga, whose grandfather was murdered in the Holocaust, said he’s seen evidence of “vile racism in the uppermost ranks of the police service.”
In one instance, Idsinga said a positive video was shared internally about a divisional officer.
“I happened to walk up when a senior officer was watching it,” he recalled. “The senior officer hit pause, looked at me, and said, “The only reason he gets away with this is because he’s a f*g Jew.”
He says the same senior officer, who went unnamed, also referred to a kosher barbeque as a “Jew-q,” a comment he says he at the time “chalked up to a bad attempt at humour.”
“They had no idea about my heritage,” he added.
When members of his office had to do a presentation to a lawyer at police headquarters, Idsinga wrote that the same senior officer remarked, “I can’t believe we have to pander to this f*g Jew.”
“It’s amazing how a few bad apples can absolutely destroy the reputations of an organization that numbers in the thousands,” he wrote.
Idsinga told CityNews his grandfather’s murder during the Holocaust prompted his interest in policing, and it was upsetting to face antisemitism as his career wound down.
“Great job, loved the job, loved most of the people on the job, still have many friends and a lot of great memories, and some very sad memories that I talk about in there (the book),” he said.
“But towards the end of my career dealing with a senior officer who made some pretty vile, antisemitic comments to me was just ironic that my career ended that way.”
Idsinga’s explosive allegations did not go unnoticed by the Toronto Police Service. Idsinga said TPS members have approached him to discuss the book — an invitation he has rejected.
“They have reached out to me, I haven’t responded,” he said. “I’ve made it clear that I won’t respond.”
During a recent unrelated media conference, TPS Deputy Chief Robert Johnson, was asked about Idsinga’s allegations and criticized him for making them public and not reporting them internally while he was still on the job.
“If he was aware of member misconduct, I think he had the duty and responsibility to make the organization aware through mechanisms that we have in place so that we can deal with this. We take this very seriously,” Johnson said.
Idsinga said he never considered filing a formal complaint with TPS “because the very people and the very institution that I would be complaining to about this, are the ones I would have to rely on to conduct that investigation, and I have no faith in them whatsoever to conduct that investigation.”
“Making a formal complaint was absolutely out of the question.”