Ret. Sgt. Toby Hinton

Beat Policing, Script Review, Film Directing

Areas of Expertise and Strengths

• street policing and its management; testifying in court
• public speaking and media interviews
• martial arts and street violence (Police Judo)
• physical arrests (hundreds!); practical use-of-force research
• streets drugs and their use; drug addiction and mental illness
• teaching, writing, and film work (directing, shooting, and production)
• physical literacy

Bio

Ret. Sgt. Toby Hinton has a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Political Science from Simon Fraser University, and was a member of the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) for 30 years. For 24 years Toby spent his career at the street/beat level in the drug-addled Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, both as a constable and later as a sergeant. For the final 5 years of his career he worked as a sergeant in the Force Options Training Unit of the VPD where he specialized in developing physical skills control training.

Toby was a co-creator of Odd Squad Productions, a charitable film production organization dedicated to educating youth, and has directed and produced a number of films broadcast nationally and internationally. Toby is currently the Executive Director of Odd Squad Productions (oddsquad.com) and has a number of film credits for creative consultant, technical assistance, directing and producing including work on the movie-of-the-week on Odd Squad (The Life – 2004), The Beat reality series (2008 – 2010), and the documentaries Through a Blue Lens (1999), Scathed (2007), Stolen Lives (2007), Riding with Madonna (2007, Tears for April (2007), Understanding Fentanyl (2018), Understanding Police Use of Force (2020), Gangs and Guns (2010 and 2020).

Toby is the head instructor for Simon Fraser University Police Judo (policejudo.ca). Toby has presented and lectured on use of force training and policing across Canada and in the United States of America, China, Switzerland and Taiwan. Writing and script review is also an interest of Toby’s, and he has published writing in local and national newspapers, as well internationally on collaborative use-of-force research. Toby has received commendations at the agency level, the provincial level (4 Lieutenant Governor’s Awards), the national level (two Governor General’s Awards / Queen’s Diamond Jubilee) and the international level (International Association of Chiefs of Police).