4252 replies to this topic

[pontcanna]

[pontcanna]

[Victoria Watcher]

Why was VicPD’s deputy chief texting the Associate Deputy Education Minister?

 

Texts between Mike Brown, deputy chief with Victoria Police and McCrea were also revealed.

In them, Brown called people protesting the government’s decision to fire the board “losers,” called trustee chair Nicole Duncan “a narcissistic moron,” and B.C.’s Human Rights Commissioner, Kasari Govender, “an arrogant idealogue.”

After the school board was fired, Brown thanked the McCrea for “coming through on the file,” calling her a “key player in this whole thing.”

Victoria Police says nobody in the department, including the Chief Fiona Wilson, knew about the text messages until CHEK News reached out asking about them Monday.

“The text exchange…does not reflect the standards we expect of our members or our organization,” said Wilson in a statement. “The matter will be referred to the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner (OPCC) for review.”

https://cheknews.ca/...bility-1326761/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 27 May 2026 - 01:39 AM.

[pontcanna]

spd_recruiting

After 30 years of service, Sergeant Corey Volk is calling it a career. Before he retires, though, he’s spending one of his final days on duty patrolling alongside his daughter, Cst. Ashley Volk. For the Volk’s, it’s a shift they’ll never forget.

 

[Victoria Watcher]

Female police officers who hoped to fight a class-action lawsuit against B.C.’s municipal police forces for sexual harassment and discrimination must instead have complaints heard through their unions’ grievance process, the B.C. Court of Appeal has ruled.

 

Six officers who put their names forward as representative plaintiffs had asked B.C.’s highest court to overturn a B.C. Supreme Court ruling that filing grievances, not a lawsuit, was the legal way to settle their disputes against 13 municipalities and their police boards.

 

The plaintiffs are current and former officers, including Lauren Phillips, Anja Bergler, Helen Irvine, Cary Ryan, Ann-Sue Piper and one person whose identity is protected by court order on a related matter. Phillips was a former Victoria police officer, while Piper was with Central Saanich police.

 

https://www.timescol...t-case-12364700

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 03 June 2026 - 07:36 AM.

[max.bravo]

That’s one more way that unions work against you. I learned the same thing during Covid. All grievances between employees and employer must be managed through the union. It’s a terrible thing.

[Sparky]

Are these grievances between an employee and an employer.....or are they between two employees? I can see the court's view on this type of case. 

 

...or did they report the behavior to the employer and nothing was resolved?

 

Tough one. 

[Victoria Watcher]

Are these grievances between an employee and an employer.....or are they between two employees? I can see the court's view on this type of case. 

 

...or did they report the behavior to the employer and nothing was resolved?

 

Tough one. 

 

 

 

 

One of the plaintiffs, a former Vancouver police officer, previously said non-court options won’t provide the same protections to female officers who have been victimized at work.

 

Some of the plaintiffs, she said, have tried going through their unions and human resources departments, but those are made up of police officers, which can include an offender or the friend of an offender.

 

She said after labour arbitration or workers’ compensation proceedings, victims could still end up still having to work with their harassers.

[Victoria Watcher]

Three years after the B.C. government used extraordinary powers to force Surrey to follow through on its transition to a municipal police force, the province is trying to distance itself from the inevitable messy fallout.

Premier David Eby responded to news that the Surrey police board had abruptly fired chief Norm Lipinski Tuesday by expressing exasperation at how often he’s called upon to intervene in the city’s policing affairs.

“I had a conversation with the mayor a number of months ago, and in that conversation, I said to the mayor that the province of B.C. has been too involved in policing in Surrey for too long, that it's time for the local community to take responsibility for their own police force,” Eby told reporters.

“She agreed, and we worked together on appointments that both the province and the city could support moving forward for vacancies on the police board, those local decisions about who the police chief is, policy priorities are the kinds of decisions that local police boards are intended to make and should make.”

The NDP government clearly wants to avoid getting further sucked into Surrey municipal politics on the eve of the October local elections. But it’s a bit late to shove off responsibility for the police transition woes.

 

https://www.biv.com/...-admit-12369050

 

 

 

Surrey police chief Norm Lipinski fired by board after leading transition away from Mounties

 

https://www.theglobe...m-lipiniski-bc/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 03 June 2026 - 12:43 PM.

[pontcanna]

INFORMATION BULLETIN
Independent Investigations Office
For Immediate Release

 

The Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO) is seeking witnesses to the death of one man that occurred near Shawnigan Lake on February 23, 2026.

 

Initial information states that around 11:15 p.m. on February 21, a man was driving a grey Volvo in Mill Bay, near the intersection of Highway 1 and Frayne Road, when he was involved in a motor vehicle incident.

 

Members of the RCMP arrived and impounded the man’s vehicle following an impaired driving investigation.

 

On the afternoon of February 23, the man was found deceased inside a residence near the Malahat Highway (Highway 1) from what is believed to be a self-inflicted injury.

 

The IIO was notified about the incident by the man’s family in March of 2026 and commenced an investigation to look at what occurred in the time leading up to the man’s death, including the interaction with the police.

 

The IIO is asking anyone who witnessed the man’s interaction with police on February 21 to call the IIO.

 

[pontcanna]

INFORMATION BULLETIN
Independent Investigations Office
For Immediate Release

 

The Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO) is seeking witnesses to the arrest of a man that occurred in Sooke on March 23, 2026.

 

Initial information states that around 6:30 p.m., members of the Sooke RCMP responded to a residence near Otter Point Park. Officers were reportedly called to ask a man to leave the property at the request of the owner.

 

The man reportedly refused to leave the residence, leading to an interaction with officers during which it is reported that he suffered an injury. He was arrested and taken to the police detachment.

 

The IIO was notified of the incident three days after it occurred and started an investigation.

[Victoria Watcher]

Mounties are testing a program that could eventually see criminal defendants battle a new opponent in court — artificial intelligence.

RCMP say AI is being used to write police reports on everything from traffic tickets to serious offences — except major crimes including murder — in Alberta and British Columbia detachments in a pilot project.

Developer Axon calls its program Draft One.

It works this way: officers are equipped with body-worn cameras, which record their interactions in the field.

AI then converts audio from the footage into written reports that officers check over for errors. The program requires police to change at least 10 per cent of what’s produced.

Obvious errors are sprinkled throughout the report, Axon says on its website, to ensure edits are made. The user is prompted to sign off on the final copy.

The report can be used in court.

https://cheknews.ca/...eports-1329140/

[max.bravo]

That’s a great idea. I’ve used those AI notetaker apps in conference calls and they are very useful. Anything that reduces the paperwork burden is a good investment for policing.