James Page Mackey (May 27, 1913 – February 27, 2009) was chief of the

Metropolitan Toronto Police The Toronto Police Service (TPS) is a municipal police force in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and the primary agency responsible for providing law enforcement and policing services in Toronto. Established in 1834, it was the first local police ser ...

from 1958 to 1970 and the longest-serving Toronto

police chief The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and ...

since the creation of the amalgamated

police force The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...

in 1957.Longest-serving Toronto police chief, James Mackey, dies at 95
''Toronto Star'', February 28, 2009 Mackey graduated from high school in

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and thought of becoming a chemist or builder but, with work difficult to find during the Great Depression he found employment as a

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when Toronto police sergeant Michael Byrt said to the young Mackey, "Lad, why don't you join the force? It's a good job and good jobs are hard to find these days." Mackey joined the original Toronto Police Department in 1936, "Jim was the 20th of 20 men taken on," his wife, Anne, later recalled. "We were very happy." He went on a leave of absence during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

to serve in the

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and returned to the department after the war. He walked the beat, then became a detective and rose to the rank of junior inspector when, in 1958, he skipped two ranks to be appointed to be chief of police of the newly created Metropolitan Toronto Police following the suicide of Chief John Chisholm. The newly expanded department of 2,300 officers and civilians had been created the year before due to the amalgamation of the original Toronto Police Department with twelve suburban police departments. In the 1960s, he was successful in stopping

mobster A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from '' mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level of organization and ...

s from

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

from establishing a foothold in Toronto. He served as chief for 12 years before retiring in 1970. He was then Chairman of the

Liquor Licensing Board of Ontario Liquor Licence Board of Ontario was the regulatory agency responsible for issuing liquor permits and regulating the sale, service and consumption of alcoholic beverages to promote moderation and responsible use in Ontario. The agency was in ope ...

until 1975. His autobiography, ''I Policed Toronto'', was published in 1985. Mackey retired to Bracebridge, Ontario where he died at the age of 95.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mackey, James Toronto police chiefs 1913 births 2009 deaths