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Permalink Reply by Doug Singleton on June 17, 2010 at 9:17am

When an officer retired from the Toronto police department in the early 2000's all he or she had to turn in on the last day of work were his/her warrant card, (police identification card), badge, badge/warrant card holder, service weapon and ammunition, handcuffs, expandable baton, uniform cap badge, rules, regulations, procedures binder, uniform gun belt, handcuff pouch, spare ammunition pouches and pepper spray with pouch, as well as Sam Brown belt and strap and kevlar vest.
All other gear, (clothing, garrison boots or work boots, shirts, pants, tunics, reefers, (cold weather gear), hat(s), were not officially logged in save one or two pairs of pants, a tunic, reefer and hat.
It is not inconceivable that now 10 years after my retirement that their are numerous pieces of police equipment floating around North America which were once the property of the Toronto Police Service and are now in the hands of individuals who have a criminal purpose in mind for possessing such equipment.
As for the gun belt, holster, assorted pouches etc. it would not be difficult to procure those items from military/police stores which cater to wanna be's and weekend warriors.
I doubt Toronto is unique in the way it handles the cleaning contract for it's officers clothing and would surmize that if one were to audit all cleaning contractors across the continent you'd be coming across similar tales of missing uniforms.
By the by it was not unknown for a serving police officer to falsely claim the loss or theft of some piece of equipment when in fact it was given by the officer to a friend, lover, or relative.
Claiming that their is a rash of missing clothing from the dry cleaning contractor is now a little like closing the barn door after Trigger has run off to greener pasturers.