Torontonians are congratulating a popular traffic services cop who’s created a strong online presence for the Toronto Police Services (TPS) on his retirement.
Traffic Services Const. Sean Shapiro is retiring on Aug. 30 from TPS, after working 25 years for TPS. He made the announcement on the official Toronto Police Traffic Unit TikTok account over the weekend.
“If you didn’t get the memo, I’m retiring and I’m gonna miss being here for you,” Shapiro said in the TikTok video.
From Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., people tune in live to Shapiro’s popular #ASKaTrafficCop sessions where he answers traffic-related questions from comments, emails, and online letters.
Shapiro says he’s amazed by all the support he’s received over the years.
“I never would have believed where we would have gotten now in terms of followers on TikTok. We do the same thing everyday and lo and behold we have almost over 600,000 now,” he told Now Toronto on Monday.
The soon-to-be retired policeman said he’ll still be answering everyones’ questions on his own social media @voiceovercop on TikTok.
“Feel free to reach out and ask me whatever you need to ask. I’m here for you,” Shapiro said in the video.
In a TikTok live video on Aug. 22, Shapiro said he’s leaving because of family and personal reasons, but will be shifting to a more private consulting role to try to help the public and police communicate better with each other.
“I became a court officer and then became a police officer. I’ve loved everyday working in uniform and serving the people of Toronto and this is gonna be a big adjustment,” he said.
As Shapiro gets ready to pack up, his colleague Const. Peter De Quintal will be taking his place to keep the show going. During the switch, Traffic Services will turn off its DMs while Shapiro hosts his last few live streams until his last day.
Online, Torontonians are congratulation Shapiro for his retirement, but are also sad to see him go.
“Congratulations Sean Shapiro, I love watching your content. Happy retirement officer Shapiro,” a Tik Tok user said.
“Congratulations on your retirement! You will be missed. Wishing you all the best in your next chapter,” one person commented.
“This man is the reason I love Canada,” another person said.
Others are hoping Shapiro continues publishing digital content.
“You need to do a podcast on the side,” one TikTok user commented.
“Always enjoy your content & I wish other jurisdictions across Canada followed the online presence that you provided with the OPP – thank you!” another person commented.
As for what’s next for Shapiro, he will be speaking at the North America-wide Social Media In Law Enforcement (SMILE) Conference, happening in Florida from Sept. 16-19.
“I’m looking forward to help other police officers do what I do,” he said.
