William J. McCormack

Who is William J. McCormack?

William J. McCormack was Chief of Police of the Metro Toronto Police from 1989 to 1995. He succeeded Jack Marks.

McCormack was born in Mauritius. He went to sea and was a civilian crewmember on a ship that ferried troops to and from Korea during the Korean War.

He is the son of a British Colonial Police colonel who was decorated with an MBE by the King for his work with prison reform and children's polio.

The younger McCormack served as a Constable in Bermuda 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.

He has five children, four of whom later became police officers. Michael is the current president of the Toronto Police Association, Kathy is an OPP sergeant, and Jamie is a Toronto police detective. William Jr resigned from the Toronto police in 2009 following an internal misconduct investigation.

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.