He’s been serving and protecting for three decades and, in March 2010, assumed what is generally considered the most badass position on the force. We met with Toronto’s head of homicide, Staff Inspector Mark Saunders, to talk dropping murder rates, the absurdity of TV cop shows and the case that keeps him up at night.
Toronto’s murder rate was way down in 2011, with 46 in total—far fewer than the 61 murders in 2010. Do you have any theories as to why that is?
The numbers are definitely low. In terms of why, you’re asking a police officer to be a sociologist and a criminologist. I can only say that in terms of death investigation, the last year has been largely successful. I come in after a murder has been committed, so that’s what I’m paying attention to.
So then your solved/unsolved rate has improved from 2010? I read that in 2011 the solve rate was particularly low.
I read that article, too. The media has a way of drawing incomplete conclusions. If you think of solved as meaning “we know who committed the murder,” our solve rate for 2010 and last year would be close to 100 per cent. Making an arrest can be a very slow process, which is one reason why the year-end total is an unfair assessment. We’ve closed a lot of 2010 cases in the past year. We don’t box an unsolved case up and put it in a closet.
Last month, your department made an arrest in a 30-year-old murder case thanks to advancements in forensic science. Are there other unsolved cases that could be solved using the most up-to-date technology?
Absolutely. And others that are still waiting on the advancements. I have a case from 2001 where we basically got to hear the victim—a 24-year-old man—get killed because his phone was on. In terms of airtight voice recognition equipment, the technology isn’t quite there, but it will be. I strongly know who did it. One day the rubber will meet the road.
Do you have a case that you are constantly turning over in your head?
I think that would be the Segun Farquharson murder that I just mentioned. It was a robbery gone bad. It rustles through your brain whether you’ve done everything you can to make that solve. Like I said, it will happen one day. I’ll probably be retired by then, but I do hope I get that phone call. I’ll probably go to court just to watch.
That sounds a lot like a TV movie. Who would play you?
Oh, I don’t know.
Denzel? Come on. You know you’re thinking Denzel.
Yeah, Denzel would be good.
Do you remember when you decided you wanted to become a cop?
I don’t have one of those romantic stories, you know, like “When I saw Officer Bob in Grade Two and I knew from that moment on…”
Or “My best friend was shot, and I wanted to catch the killer.”
Right. So I don’t have one of those stories. I was drawn to the fact that it’s the type of job where every day is different. I knew growing up that I didn’t want to sit behind a desk and be a processor. The job is so diverse. If you get transferred to a new unit it’s like a totally new job.
Did you have to put in your time as a traffic cop? Were you a green hornet?
Well, green hornet is a derogatory term, so I wouldn’t say that. The uniforms aren’t green anymore, though they were back in 1982 when I started. All officers are required to serve on the ground level at the beginning. It’s the foundation of uniform service—and really the whole department—because it teaches you to interact with the public.
The head of homicide has to be the most badass position on the force. What do you think qualified you for the job?
I would say I’m a people person. My unit has some of the best investigators in this country so they’re very easy to run. I spend a lot of time on the long-term goals and vision, trying to identify needs and figure out how we can be more effective.
Can you give an example of a change that you have implemented?
When I first came into homicide we sent out two lead officers on every murder case. I restructured that, so now we are able to front-load investigations, meaning that we can put a larger team on it at the beginning to interview more witnesses in a more timely fashion. A murder investigation is just a giant upside-down jigsaw puzzle and our function is to turn over as many pieces as possible. When you have the more complex cases, timeliness is really important.
How has the typical Toronto murder changed in the past few decades?
The major change is that we now have a street gang culture, which is something we weren’t even admitting until the early 2000s.
When is the last time you wore a bulletproof vest?
We do use-of-force training every year, and that was a couple of weeks ago.
Okay, then, when was the last time you were in a situation where you thought, “Shit, I wish I was wearing a bullet proof vest?”
That would go back to my days with the emergency task force, responding to a call where you’re dealing with someone who has a gun and who will shoot at you.
So as a homicide cop you don’t find yourself in situations where, say, you’re interviewing someone who you think is a witness and all of a sudden you realize you’re in the room with a killer?
I’m not going to say it has never happened ever, but pretty much never. You watch too much TV.
Guilty as charged, but now that we’re on the topic of CSI, etc., how, if at all, have those shows affected your job?
Where we see that influence the most is generally with juries. Post-CSI there is this expectation that you put the blue dye in the jelly, shake it around, pop it into the computer and a face comes up—which is just so far removed from the reality of how we solve murders. On TV, the lawyer will ask one brilliant question and that’s it. In a real case witnesses are on the stand for hours, days, even weeks.
So “You can’t handle the truth” moments are few and far between then?
Exactly.
Do you follow CNN-mania associated with celebrity murder trials? O.J., Robert Blake, Amanda Knox?
I’m so busy here dealing with our own cases, so not really. I did watch the O.J. case.
Do you think he did it?
Ha. I’m not going to go there.
LIGHTNING ROUND!
Coffee or tea?
Coffee.
Batman or Spider-Man?
By far, Spider-Man.
Favourite song?
“Your Song” by Elton John.
Favourite car?
Nissan 300 series.
Favourite colour?
None.
Most prized possession?
My health.
Person you’d like to meet in heaven?
A tie between Martin Luther King and African-American abolitionist Harriet Tubman.
