'Violence is never the answer': Toronto police seeing uptick in assaults against parking officers

Toronto police say they are seeing an increase in the number of assaults on parking enforcement officers (PEOs) in the city, which the chief of police is describing as a “disturbing trend.”

“In most of these cases, the member was assaulted while they served a parking ticket. This is unacceptable behaviour,” Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw said at a news conference on Tuesday.

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Police said there were six assaults against PEOs in 2021, another 15 in 2022, and 46 in 2023. As of July 18 of this year, police have seen 27 assaults so far.

Toronto Police Association President Jon Reid spoke alongside Demkiw and said some officers in the 370-member unit have been spat on and punched while performing their duties.

“They do not deserve to be cursed at, pushed, punched, let alone have to jump out of the way of a moving vehicle. They deserve to go home to their families and feel safe and unscathed,” Reid said.

Police said in rare cases, PEOs have required medical attention for their injuries.

Carol Raymond is a PEO who patrols the city’s west end and say she has “lost count” of the number of times she’s been assaulted.

Most recently, while she was on patrol in the area of Yonge and Bloor streets in March, she said the driver of a vehicle tried to run her over after she issued them a ticket.

“I gave the ticket and as I’m walking away I could hear the engine revving, and as I looked [behind me], he was going to hit me with the vehicle and I had to get out of the way,” she told CP24 following Tuesday’s news conference.

Carol Raymond, a Toronto Parking Enforcement Officer (PEO, speaks to CP24 on July 23, 2024.

Raymond said the driver in that case was arrested and charged as their licence plate information had already been recorded.

Chris Butterfield is a PEO supervisor and said he too has been assaulted a number of times, including one incident when a woman jumped on his back and tried to strangle him.

“On a day-to-day basis, when we’re issuing parking tickets, people can be frustrated. They definitely don’t like getting a parking ticket, but generally, if we’re issuing a ticket, violence is never the answer,” he said.

Police explained that PEOs are civilian members of the Toronto Police Service (TPS), which means that assaulting a member equates to assaulting an officer. In either case, the charge can lead to imprisonment and fines, which Demkiw said the TPS will pursue in court.

“Today's news conference is about the assaults on these members, who don't deserve to be assaulted. That's the bottom line: Stop assaulting our parking enforcement officers. And if you do, let me be clear, there will be very, very serious consequences, and we will do everything we can to hold people accountable when they assault our members,” he said.

Outside of issuing parking tickets, PEOs also help recover stolen vehicles, provide emergency support to police, and assist with the flow of vehicular and pedestrian traffic during special events in the city.