Toronto Police target tow truck turf wars as violence continues

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Seventy per cent of Toronto’s shootings so far this year are tied to an ongoing turf war in the city’s towing industry.

To address this, cops are launching Project Dodger — Toronto Police’s latest initiative to tackle violence in the lucrative industry.

“Project Dodger’s primary goal is to improve safety for tow truck operators and the public,” police said in a release on Monday.

“To achieve this, both plainclothes and uniformed officers will be deployed in critical areas across the city to deter violence and ensure compliance with industry regulations.”

The new team will investigate violent incidents related to tow trucks, including shootings, arsons and firearm discharges — all linked to these ongoing turf wars.

Although “most tow companies and operators comply with regulations,” police said, the violence stems from operators competing for the city’s valuable collision tows.

While so-called “chasers” used to rely on radiofrequency scanners for calls, the move by GTA police services to encrypt their radio transmissions a decade ago touched off greater competition among chases for tips on crashes.

In 2020, a veteran TPS officer became part of an anti-corruption investigation after members of a tow truck chaser “consortium” were found in possession of stolen and illegally cloned police two-way radios.

That investigation also involved an illicit subscription-based service that allowed tow truck drivers to listen to live-stream broadcasts of police radio traffic.

According to Toronto Police, 13% of 2024’s shootings were directly linked to the towing turf wars.

Project Dodger comes after last summer’s Project Beacon, which saw 184 charges laid in relation to a murder and 13 related shootings. Six people were also charged in connection with Project Beacon.

“The success of Project Beacon highlighted the impact of collaboration and enforcement,” Supt. Paul MacIntyre, of the Organized Crime unit, said in the release.

“Through Project Dodger, we will continue to work diligently to protect our communities and ensure safety across the city.”

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