Canada is a country troubled by racism and anti-police sentiment, and perhaps no more so than in Toronto. Now, former head of Homicide in Toronto Hank Idsinga has thrown fuel on that fire in his memoir, The High Road: Confessions of a Homicide Cop.
Joe Warmington writes in the Toronto Sun that in an interview with the CBC's chief correspondent Adrienne Arseneault, Idsinga spoke of hearing antisemitic and racist language and discovered officers handling such complaints may have been expressing such sentiments. Idsinga has also said he witnessed a culture problem within the Toronto Police Service.
Given nearly daily protests in the city, many of which target Jews in Canada, it is especially troubling to think that the soft approach police have taken to the situation might be because there is antipathy toward Jews in the officers themselves.
A different opinion from another cop
Another long-time homicide detective with the Toronto Police Service is Mark Mendelson, who told me he was the third Jew ever hired by TPS. On my NEWSTALK1010 radio show, Mendelson, who serves as a police and crime expert and commentator for the station and for CTV, discussed the issue.
In my over thirty years with the Toronto Police Service from 1977 on, I worked in uniform, I worked in undercover drugs, I was one of the original members of what has now become the hate crime unit, and I spent half of my career in the homicide squad, Mendelson said. Hank has his lived experience, and I don't have any qualms with that at all. I have mine as well, and all I can tell you is that in all my years, not one time did I ever experience any form of antisemitism whether it was overt, whether it was to my face, I just didn't experience it.
Toronto police's response
Naturally, Toronto police want to investigate and, to that end, have requested that Idsinga talk with them and give information. No names are given in the book. So far, it appears Idsinga has not accepted that offer. Mendelson says, Hanks a good man, he isnt stupid, but from my experience I cant say in all honesty that I ever experienced one moment of it.
I followed by saying that while we have Idsinga's story, but if it was the case that TPS had a systemic problem, institutional racism in the force, I think you would have encountered it. Mendelson said, Oh, without question. It has been suggested by other organizations that it is a systemic problem within the police service. I think people are wrapping in what happened with Hamas and Gaza and Israel a couple of years ago in October and police response.
I have no issue being critical of the police, Mendelson said, and we talked about how they reacted to these demonstration early on. I don't give a damn about the thin blue line. Reality is reality. But I don't see anything that would warrant the suggestion there is systemic antisemitism within the Toronto police. Mendelson said, It all has to start with naming names, giving details and giving context. He's a big boy; he can stand on his own feet quite well.
Idsinga served the city well, but if he wants to be seen as someone more than just a guy trying to sell a book, he has to step up one more time.
