Julian Fantino was Toronto?s chief of police from 2000 to 2005?a force that numbered 5,200 officers and more than 2,000 civilian employees. In his tenure he presided over a city of more than 2.5 million people?one of the most socially, culturally, and ethnically diverse cities in North America. Not surprisingly, the challenges he faced as police commissioner were many, including issues of ethnic sensitivity in an increasingly ?mosaic? city, rising crime rates and street violence, endless battles with city hall over budgets and appropriations, the threat of terrorism, reports of corruption among the rank and file, political vendettas, an often hostile media, spats with a succession of mayors and city councillors, his controversial and contentious dismissal, and much more.

A lot has changed for this poor kid from Italy. But as Julian Fantino describes in this brutally candid and hard-hitting as-told-to biography of his life from a street cop to top cop, one thing never changed: his steadfast commitment to the principles of integrity, honesty and accountability in policing.

From his humble beginnings in Italy to his relocation to Canada and his rise through the police ranks, from street beat to Toronto?s top cop?Fantino recounts with humour, passion, and honesty, the details of a life devoted to public service.

JULIAN FANTINO was chief of police for Toronto from 2000 to 2005. Previously, he served as chief in London, Ontario, and in York Region. He left policing to become Ontario''s commissioner of Emergency Management, and in 2006 returned to the fold as commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police. Born in Italy, he moved to Canada with his parents when he was eleven. He began his career as a police officer in Toronto in 1969. In a distinguished law-enforcement career, he has earned many awards and honours, including: Award of Appreciation from the Jane-Finch Multicultural Association and the Jane-Finch Fights Back Committee; the Order of Merit from the National Congress of Italian Canadians; the Award of Excellence from the Criminal Intelligence Service Canada; the City of Vaughan Community Relations Award; the Canada 125th Commemorative Medal Commander of the Order of Merit to the Republic of Italy; the Order of St. John; the Queen''s Golden Jubilee Medal; the Police 30-Year Exemplary Service Medal and Bar; the Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow Award; inductee into the Ontario Special Olympics Hall of Fame; Commander of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces; the Order of Ontario; and the Beth Sholom Humanitarian Award. Julian Fantino is currently commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police.

JERRY AMERNIC started his career as a newpaper reporter. He has been a magazine feature writer, an editor, and a public relations consultant, specializing in media. His first novel, Gift of the Bambino, was hailed by the Wall Street Journal as "the perfect gift for a young baseball fan...the story he tells about a young boy''s bond with his colorful grandfather is touching without being maudlin." He lives with his wife and family in Toronto, Ontario.

JERRY AMERNIC started his career as a newpaper reporter. He has been a magazine feature writer, an editor, and a public relations consultant, specializing in media. His first novel, Gift of the Bambino, was hailed by the Wall Street Journal as "the perfect gift for a young baseball fan...the story he tells about a young boy''s bond with his colorful grandfather is touching without being maudlin." He lives with his wife and family in Toronto, Ontario.

After starting life as a hardscrabble youth in Italy, Julian Fantino emigrated to Canada and began the slow, difficult rise from poverty to a controversial tenure as Toronto's chief of police, where he oversaw 5,200 officers and more than 2,000 civilian employees. "Duty," his frank autobiography, is also a powerful contemporary portrait of the most socially, culturally, and ethnically diverse city in North America. Fantino pulls no punches in describing the challenges he faced -- racial conflicts in an increasingly "mosaic" city, rising crime rates and street violence, endless budget battles with city hall, the threat of terrorism, rank-and-file corruption, political vendettas, an often hostile media, and his own contentious dismissal. Fantino's vivid account of a city teetering on the edge of implosion, and his riveting narration of his own precarious balancing act as he tries to maintain his integrity against seemingly unstoppable forces, make "Duty" a striking memoir.