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William J. McCormack
William J. McCormack
Chief of the Metropolitan Toronto Police
	In office; 1989–1995
Preceded by	Jack Marks
Succeeded by	David Boothby
Personal details
Born	21 February 1933; Mauritius
Died	8 September 2016 (aged 83)
Nationality	British; Canadian
Relations	William McCormack Sr - father ; Margaret Moylan - mother
Alma mater	Mill Meece Police Training School ; Atlantic College, Dublin
Occupation	police officer
Profession	marine radio officer, colonial police officer

William Joseph McCormack (21 February 1933 – 8 September 2016) was Chief of Police of the Metro Toronto Police from 1989 to 1995. He succeeded Jack Marks. Earlier in his life McCormack was a marine radio operator and British colonial police officer before coming to Canada in the late 1950s.

Life and career

McCormack was born in Beau-Bassin, Mauritius, then went on to graduate from Atlantic College in Dublin in 1951.^[1] McCormack went to sea and as a civilian employee of the Marconi International Marine Communication Limited aboard British Merchant Navy ships where he served as a radio officer on several ships.^[1]

He was the son of British Colonial Police colonel William McCormack who was decorated with an MBE by the King for his work with prison reform and children's polio.^[1]

After completing training in the Staffordshire County Police, the younger McCormack served as a Constable in Bermuda Police Force from 1955 to 1959.^[2]^[3] With another constable of the Bermuda Police, Rick Hodgson (who would go on to become a Superintendent in the Ontario Provincial Police), he had pulled over Jean Orilla Kernick, a Canadian employed as a bank teller by the Bank of Bermuda, who was riding a moped with a faulty light. The two married in 1958 at St. Theresa's cathedral in the City of Hamilton, with the reception held at Admiralty House, Bermuda (which had been pressed into use as accommodation for police officers, including McCormack, after the Commander-in-Chief of the America and West Indies Station had been abolished in 1956) and returned to Toronto with her in 1960.^[4]^[5]^[1] before coming to Canada and joining the Metropolitan Toronto Police. Before becoming chief of police, he spent a number of years as a homicide detective in Toronto. Following his retirement, he detailed his experiences and some of his notable cases in a co-authored book.^[6]

The couple had five children, four of whom later became police officers. Michael is the former president of the Toronto Police Association, leaving that position in 2020.,^[7] Kathy is an OPP sergeant, and Jamie is a Toronto police detective. A son also named William resigned from his post as a plainclothes Toronto police officer in 2009 following an internal misconduct investigation;^[8] criminal charges for soliciting and accepting bribes in that regard were subsequently stayed for 6 years of excessive delays by Crown prosecution, with the judge laying blame on the lead police investigator.^[9]^[10]

In 2007, he joined other former Toronto chiefs, including David Boothby, Jack Marks and Julian Fantino at a 50th anniversary celebration of the Toronto Police Service at the headquarters building.^[11]^[12] McCormack died on 8 September 2016 at the age of 83.^[13]^[14]

Awards

Police Exemplary Service Medal (1983)
Bar to the Police Exemplary Service Medal (1989)
Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (2002)
Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal (2013)

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "William J. "Bill" McCormack". Bermuda Ex Police Association. Archived from the original on 13 November 2015.
^ Royal Gazette Staff (25 March 1993). "Walking Toronto's thin blue line". The Royal Gazette. City of Hamilton, Pembroke Parish, Bermuda. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
^ Staff (4 July 1958). "Policeman Weds Bermuda Girls". City of Hamilton, Pembroke Parish, Bermuda. p. 7. The best man was Mr. William J. McCormack. and the ushers were Messrs. Ian Ferguson, Barry Ward, Trevor Owen and Robert Curnow.
^ "Admiralty House Setting for Nuptial Party". The Royal Gazette. City of Hamilton, Pembroke Parish, Bermuda. 29 August 1958. p. 4. The bride's parents are Mrs. Morley Jasper and the late Guy T. Kernick of Toronto. The groom's parents are Mr. and Mrs. William McCormack of Naas, Ireland. The maid or honour was Miss Marion Jones, who is from Toronto. She wore ice-blue nylon embroidered with blue velvet roses and styled over blue taffeta. She wore a white picture hat and white accessories. The bridesmaids attending the bride were Mrs. Frank Robinson and Mrs. Roy Thomas, They wore gowns of white nylon embroidered with blue velvet roses and made over white taffeta. They, too, wore white accessories and picture hats. All attendants carried bouquets of white roses and leaves. Best man for the groom was Mr.Trevor Owen, and the ushers were Messrs. Frank Robinson, Barry Ward, John Logan, and John Joe Sheehy.
^ The Royal Gazette. City of Hamilton, Pembroke Parish, Bermuda. 17 September 1958. p. 4. (caption of photograph) Mr. and Mrs. W. J. McCormack catting the cake after their wedding on August 28. The bride is the former Miss Jean Kernick. A report of the wedding has already appeared in The Royal Gazette. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
^ McCormack, William (2005). Life on Homicide: A Police Detective's Memoir. Bob Cooper. White Knight Publications. ISBN 978-0-9734186-0-6.
^ "Toronto Police Association - Board of Directors". Archived from the original on 15 April 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
^ "Corruption probe: The cops". Toronto Star. 8 December 2009. Archived from the original on 21 July 2013. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
^ "Charges against police officers stayed". Toronto Star. 7 December 2009. Archived from the original on 13 May 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
^ "Wiretaps in Toronto police corruption case released". CBC News. 8 December 2009. Archived from the original on 13 November 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
^ Toronto Police Service (27 February 2009). "Toronto Police Service - Inside the TPS". Retrieved 13 October 2010.
^ Toronto Police Service (16 January 2007). "Toronto Police Service - History comes alive at police headquarters". Archived from the original on 11 June 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
^ D'Amore, Rachael; Herhalt, Chris (8 September 2016). "Former Toronto police chief Bill McCormack dies". CP24.com. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
^ "William J. McCormack; February 21, 1933 – September 8, 2016". Dignitymemorial.com. Retrieved 2 September 2021.