44 radical moments that shaped Toronto Pride history nowtoronto.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nowtoronto.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The report found that some police officers had misconceptions or stereotypical ideas about the LGBTQ community, and that there was a lack of communication about the cases with the community, as well as within the police force itself.
Epstein also identified delays and errors in the investigations, and missed important opportunities to identify him as the killer.
She wrote that her extensive engagement with community members and organizations confirmed that many people deeply mistrust the Toronto police.
Interim police chief James Ramer said Tuesday that the shortcomings Epstein identified are inexcusable. He said the police accept and will act on every one of the report s 150 recommendations.
The Globe and Mail Justin Ling Published April 13, 2021
MARK BLINCH/Reuters
The Toronto Police Service needs a culture shift to deal with “profound systemic failures” that led to serial killer Bruce McArthur stalking the city’s LGBTQ community for nearly eight years before being caught, according to an external review into the police investigation.
The review, by retired Ontario Court of Appeal Justice Gloria Epstein, was launched in 2018 to examine how police handled the cases of eight men Mr. McArthur murdered between 2010 and 2017 in the city’s Gay Village. It was expanded to look at two cases from 2017: the botched search for Tess Richey, and Alloura Wells, a transgender woman whose death remains unexplained.
The review commissioned by the Toronto Police Services Board found that “misconceptions or stereotypical ideas” hampered the inquiry, allowing Bruce McArthur to carry out a seven-year “reign of terror.”