Stacy Clarke was told a long-time ago when considering policing as a career to ‘be part of the solution and not part of the problem.”

She worked for 22 years at the Toronto Police Service, before now joining its senior ranks as an Superintendent, one of a handful of Black women to hold such a position in Canada.

Clarke, a mom of two teens, is the first to admit that it was not an easy task to get this far.

“I’ve spent the last few hours reflecting on the hill I’ve climbed but also on those who have paved the way for me. I am humbled and filled with pride,” she said in a Tweet soon after her appointment.

She thanked Chief James Ramer and the force’s Command for the opportunities “to continue serving our communities and leading our members.”

It was a long journey. She spent her early career years working in the Community Response Unit, Youth Bureau and Intelligence. She served in the Homicide and Divisional Policing Support Units before moving to the Toronto Police College in 2008.

She was promoted to sergeant in 2010 and assigned to 13 Division and transferred to 22 Division in 2012 to work in the Primary Response Unit and Detective Office.

A member of Professional Standards, she then worked on the Police and Community Review (PACER) project, which explored how the force could improve the public’s trust and safety while providing a bias-free service.

She received a promotion to staff sergeant in 2016 and headed the Learning Development and Standards Section at the Police College prior to achieving her senior ranking.

Proud of her Jamaican roots, she rose up the ranks in her work in implementing the province’s Street Check legislation, one of her many accomplishments as Master Trainer and Controller of Legislation.

She believes in advancing policing efforts to gain the trust of the community while pursuing effective policing. A believer in continuing education, Clarke has completed numerous leadership programs, including one with the FBI.

In 2018, Clarke was named a Civic Action Fellow and listed as one of the 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women in that year.

The mother and community leader says she was taken back by the death of George Floyd, in Minneapolis, noting that all her work in trying to forge partnerships between police and the black community may have been lost.