3315 replies to this topic

[Nparker]

When all else fails, place the racism card.

[Victoria Watcher]

[Victoria Watcher]

Victoria police get an earful after tweeting about catching people urinating in alleys

But some residents are happy police are trying to stop this behaviour

https://www.vicnews....ting-in-alleys/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 13 March 2023 - 04:10 PM.

[Nparker]

It's been confirmed on more than one occasion that weapons have been found in supportive housing. How is the VicPD "spreading fear" by simply reporting facts?

[FawltyVic]

Victoria police get an earful after tweeting about catching people urinating in alleys

But some residents are happy police are trying to stop this behaviour

https://www.vicnews....ting-in-alleys/

I think those who are complaining aren't seeing the whole picture.

 

Anyone who has lived in Victoria long enough and walked around it at night, knows more than just urinating goes on in back alleys

 

Anyone recall the alley in behind the businesses off Yates street next to the Odeon (before it expanded)? Remember the treasure trove of human fluids, used condoms and discarded needles?

 

With the lack of enforcement and the mayor and council not giving a crap, a lot of what was done in alleys is now done out in the public.

 

What's happening in alleys now?

[Victoria Watcher]

Victoria council floats $1.7 million cut to draft police budget

Several hirings would be scuttled under proposal Victoria council is discussing. Police board had refused to reduce its budget request, prompting councillors to step in.

https://www.timescol...-budget-6694931

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 14 March 2023 - 05:20 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

Correct me if I’m wrong here. The police board wrote a letter to council saying this is our budget and it’s not really negotiable.

Alto is co-chair of the board.

But now as Mayor she says the police can’t have the increase?

[Victoria Watcher]

The police want 7 new positions. But:

The study found that 20% of VicPD’s 249 officers were on leave, many as a result of “mental health challenges.” Of those still on the job, 22% had clinical symptoms of PTSD.

https://www.capitald...e-officers-ptsd



Would it not be prudent to get some of the nearly 50 officers on leave back, rather than hiring 3 more?

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 14 March 2023 - 05:28 AM.

[pontcanna]

Chief Manak | Statement Clarifying The Facts On Police Officers In Greater Victoria Schools

 

Date: Wednesday, March 15, 2023

 

On Monday, March 13, 2023, the Greater Victoria School District 61 Trustees received a letter from the Greater Victoria Teacher’s Association (GVTA) regarding School Police Liaison Officers.

 

I am very concerned about the contents of this letter and would like to clarify the role of School Police Liaison Officers (SPLOs) and other police presence in schools, and to address some of the statements in this letter which are quite frankly, grossly inaccurate and do not reflect the local reality.

 

First, this letter implies that the SPLO Review Committee has recommended ending the SPLO program. I believe that review committee in fact put forward two options to consider: either to end the program or continue the program with changes. It is my understanding that the majority preference of committee members is in fact to keep the program and to implement positive changes, and that this recommendation is strongly supported in the results of a survey that the committee conducted, which I will also address later.

 

Second, I would like to clarify the current role that police have in schools, as this letter paints a picture of officers surveilling students and patrolling hallways looking to make arrests, which is simply not true.

 

The role of SPLOs is to build positive relationships and trust with students, which organically establishes mentorship and role models.

 

This is incredibly important in keeping our youth safe, in many ways. One important way is that it reduces the exploitation of youth, whether that is sexual exploitation – which we see increasing specifically around young men – sexual violence, or preventing recruitment of youth into gangs, which is a legitimate rising concern in Greater Victoria.

 

We know that when youth have a positive relationship with a trusted adult, they are more likely to disclose these activities, helping us take action to end criminal behavior aimed at youth.

 

Officers are hand-selected to be SPLOs based on their aptitude to build positive relationships with youth, ability to be role-models leading with care and compassion, and genuine concern about the well-being of students.

 

This program is critical to the safety of youth in our community.

 

This program also allows us to deal with worrisome behaviours that are not criminal, but are beyond the capacity of school teachers and counsellors to manage. That is the reality of what is happening in our local schools today.

 

Police are also in schools to deliver community safety, which consists of creating school lockdown procedures, and assisting with lockdown drills, much like the role the Fire Department plays in fire drills.

 

Of course, police are often invited into schools and classrooms for all ages at other times, and I can give you countless examples of the positive classroom experiences that take place with our Community Resource Officers and my own experiences in visiting schools.

 

This brings me to the third item I would like to address, which is that the generalized stereotypes, outdated perceptions and sweeping prejudice against police in this letter is unfounded and inaccurate to the reality of our community.

 

In fact, I find this extremely offensive.

 

One critical point in both this letter, and the BC Human Rights Commissioner’s letter that it references, is the acknowledged lack of Canadian research around the impact of SPLOs in schools. There is very little research that reflects the reality of our communities, our relationships and our justice system, and the recommendations in this letter are based on information that is inaccurate to our experiences.

 

In contrast, I am aware of a survey that the SPLO Review Committee has conducted locally and that I believe better reflects my understanding, and in fact the local reality of police relationships with youth, and the desire our community has for police to be in schools.

 

I understand that the survey had a significant level of participation from students, former students, teachers, parents, administrators, local First Nations and other community members, and I sincerely hope that the Trustees will carefully review and consider the SPLO Program Review Engagement Summary Report before making any decisions about this program.

 

In conclusion, from my own experience as a BIPOC parent and police officer who has engaged deeply with many other BIPOC communities, I can tell you that the contents of this letter do not reflect what these communities want for our youth. In fact, it is the opposite.

 

I hear the concerns expressed in this letter, and acknowledge that it is important to hear all voices in this discussion, but I do not believe that this is what our communities want, and I can tell you that removing police presence from schools in such a sweeping manner, as called for by the GVTA, is irresponsible and would negatively impact the safety and well-being of students.

 

[Victoria Watcher]

On the othe hand:

 

 

 

 

 

Former police reservist Aaron Plater was sentenced today for sexually abusing a 15-year-old in a historic case that took place 27 years ago.

 

He served as a reservist in both the Victoria, and Saanich Police departments.

 

His victim, only 15 at the time of the abuse, looked up to him as a mentor in the police cadet program.

 

Now a 42-year-old father of two, his voice shook as he read his victim impact statement in court.

 

https://www.cheknews...e-case-1144118/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 15 March 2023 - 03:46 PM.

[Nparker]

...Former police reservist Aaron Plater was sentenced today for sexually abusing a 15-year-old in a historic case that took place 27 years ago...

27. Years. Ago.

[Barrrister]

I am pretty sure that ther a number of cases of teachers abusing students, including female teachers. Therefore we should remove teachers from the classrooms. 

[Victoria Watcher]

27. Years. Ago.

 

 

Special Prosecutor Kris Pechet said the victim suffered for years as a result of the abuse.

 

“You could hear the emotion in the victim’s voice. As I mentioned, it’s like throwing a pebble into water, the ripple effects go for a considerable period in all directions.

 

That’s certainly been the case for the victim in terms of his family, in terms of his marriage, in terms of his children,” Pechet said.

 

__________________

 

Provincial Court Judge Karina Sacca sentenced Plater to six months probation.

[pontcanna]

Saanich police officer’s actions in 2022 standoff cleared, but criticized by IIO

The Independent Investigations Office has cleared a Saanich police officer of any criminal offence after he unleashed a canine unit on a man with Asperger’s Syndrome in a confrontation last year.

But even though he found no criminal offences in the case, IIO BC Chief Civilian Director Ronald J. MacDonald admonished what he called the officer’s escalation of force in the report released Thursday.

The report details the May 31, 2022 incident in which a man diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome accompanied his mother, a landlord, as she attempted to serve an eviction notice to an uncooperative tenant in their home.

Responding angrily, the son repeatedly struck the tenant’s front door with a hammer, the report says. Police were eventually called to the scene, resulting in a prolonged standoff as the man refused to leave the front steps of the house to be arrested.

When he finally relented and descended the steps, he defied officers’ commands to lie down. In response, one officer fired two plastic projectiles from an anti-riot weapon, while another released his police dog. The canine attack left the man with serious injuries to his arm.

MacDonald also found the officer’s use of force to be heavy-handed and only slightly in accordance with standard operating procedures.

The report includes several other criticisms of the police response that border on scathing.

Despite the issues raised by MacDonald, he cleared the officer of committing any offence meaning he won’t be charged.
 

More: https://www.cheknews...by-iio-1144982/

 

Full report: https://iiobc.ca/app...rm-2022-128.pdf

 

[pontcanna]

Please, Victoria council, do not ignore public safety

• Times Colonist
• 18 Mar 2023
• RICK ANTHONY

A commentary by a former member of the Victoria Police Department.

 

Since my retirement as a police officer, I have tried to keep my opinions to myself.

 

I have been a resident of Victoria for 48 years, and for 25 of those years I was a Victoria police officer. I was extremely proud to serve in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

 

Sure, we had our problems — drug dealing and substance abuse has always been an issue and we had violent incidents from time to time.

 

But never in my time as a cop downtown was it as bad as it is today.

 

Policing in Victoria has become increasingly difficult and dangerous with the proliferation of mental-health related issues.

 

The province bears some of this responsibility, but with council’s rejection of the police board’s request for more resources, the management of these issues will become even more unworkable.

 

Due to the ever-increasing pressure on VicPD officers, there are dozens of officers off duty with occupational stress injuries (PTSD), and a lot of that stress doesn’t always come from the incidents the police deal with — it’s also the unseen and unspoken stress of knowing that they don’t have the support of their employer, the City of Victoria.

 

VicPD cannot retain staff and officers if the City of Victoria allows it to become a place that no one will want to work because of the untenable working conditions.

 

Everywhere you look there are high-rise condos going up and yet there is no increase in essential services to ensure that these new residents will be safe and secure.

 

With random violent attacks in downtown, thousands of people being housed in “temporary” unsuccessful supportive housing units, increased traffic congestion and theft from retailers at an all-time high, public safety is on the minds of everyone it seems except those at the council table.

 

Cut other budgets, but not the most critical one. All the pretty pet projects and frivolous expenditures mean nothing if the city is a dirty, dangerous ghost town that no one feels safe in.

 

More: https://www.timescol...-safety-6721011

 

[Victoria Watcher]

^ Due to the ever-increasing pressure on VicPD officers, there are dozens of officers off duty with occupational stress injuries (PTSD), and a lot of that stress doesn’t always come from the incidents the police deal with — it’s also the unseen and unspoken stress of knowing that they don’t have the support of their employer, the City of Victoria.




Dozens off work. That’s not good.

[Victoria Watcher]

This is the new police spokesperson.  And this is how she describes someone selling a $11,000 item for $40, for their next hit of crack:

 

 

 

 

 

Recently, after someone had an $11,000 bike stolen and posted to the Avengers group, another person saw the bike and bought it for $40 to return to its owner.

 

“That gives you an idea of the street value sometimes of some of these bikes, and I think that speaks to people’s desperation, right? If somebody has a substance-use problem, and they need 40 bucks to be able to not feel unwell, then that’s the value at the time,” Healy said.

 

 

 

 

https://www.timescol...-owners-6723581

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 19 March 2023 - 03:23 AM.

[Nparker]

Healy makes it sound like the junkie has made the agonizing decision to part with a beloved personal item rather than quickly offloading stolen property to get high. The last thing we need in our local law enforcement is another addiction enabler. She should be reassigned immediately.

[Victoria Watcher]

Even the police dogs 🐕 are racist.

https://www.foxnews...._intcmp=fnhpbt7


The California Assembly's Public Safety Committee has approved a bill that would ban the use of police canines for arrests, apprehensions and crowd control, apparently a first-in-the-country measure. The authors of the bill cited the need for the removal of K-9s due to racial bias and violence against Black Americans and people of color.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 21 March 2023 - 03:36 PM.

[Nparker]

#clownworldcanineedition 🙄