Stephen Harrison
@stephenharrison.bsky.social
Victoria, B.C. needsmorespikes.com
I was reminded of this old report where the OPCC noted 13 substantiated allegations of misconduct for whatever this SLO was doing in 1999 that constituted "inappropriate conduct during school events." There are even fewer details in these old reports, including that the department wasn't disclosed.
November 19, 2025 at 6:35 AM
I was reminded of this old report where the OPCC noted 13 substantiated allegations of misconduct for whatever this SLO was doing in 1999 that constituted "inappropriate conduct during school events." There are even fewer details in these old reports, including that the department wasn't disclosed.
A VicPD officer got a verbal reprimand for slamming someone's head into the ground after they were in handcuffs. I did some reporting on VicPD's use of force on people in handcuffs here. www.needsmorespikes.com/blog/use-of-... VicPD is trying to suppress releasing future use of force datasets. #yyj
November 19, 2025 at 12:54 AM
A VicPD officer got a verbal reprimand for slamming someone's head into the ground after they were in handcuffs. I did some reporting on VicPD's use of force on people in handcuffs here. www.needsmorespikes.com/blog/use-of-... VicPD is trying to suppress releasing future use of force datasets. #yyj
Here we learn that the VicPD officer who decided to do a PIT maneuver on someone on their e-bike, dislocating his shoulder and putting him in hospital, was suspended for one day. www.needsmorespikes.com/blog/police-... #yyj
November 19, 2025 at 12:54 AM
Here we learn that the VicPD officer who decided to do a PIT maneuver on someone on their e-bike, dislocating his shoulder and putting him in hospital, was suspended for one day. www.needsmorespikes.com/blog/police-... #yyj
Will pick up posting at 5:00. For a bad read, the OPCC's annual report of substantiated complaints is up. Here a Vancouver officer gave a presentation at a school, then entered an "inappropriate" and "abusive" relationship with a student post-graduation. Cops in schools. opcc.bc.ca/wp-content/u...
November 19, 2025 at 12:45 AM
Will pick up posting at 5:00. For a bad read, the OPCC's annual report of substantiated complaints is up. Here a Vancouver officer gave a presentation at a school, then entered an "inappropriate" and "abusive" relationship with a student post-graduation. Cops in schools. opcc.bc.ca/wp-content/u...
I will note that the police board wants Victoria and Esquimalt to give the board itself $359,000 next year, including $100,000 for “strategic planning” that they barely try to justify, and a $259,000 base budget that itself will have gone up $156,000 in three years unless councillors intervene.
November 19, 2025 at 12:45 AM
I will note that the police board wants Victoria and Esquimalt to give the board itself $359,000 next year, including $100,000 for “strategic planning” that they barely try to justify, and a $259,000 base budget that itself will have gone up $156,000 in three years unless councillors intervene.
Victoria council will be asking VicPD questions about its draft $90 million budget on Thursday. Before today’s public meeting, Wilson led a “2026 budget discussion” with the police board.
November 19, 2025 at 12:45 AM
Victoria council will be asking VicPD questions about its draft $90 million budget on Thursday. Before today’s public meeting, Wilson led a “2026 budget discussion” with the police board.
There’s a #yyj police board meeting at 5:00 pm. Will follow along here. It’s the first time VicPD met the legal requirement to post the agenda a week in advance. Maybe the trade-off was “put nothing in there.” Agenda: vicpd.ca/wp-content/u... Stream: www.youtube.com/channel/UCKK... #vicpdboard 🧵
November 19, 2025 at 12:45 AM
There’s a #yyj police board meeting at 5:00 pm. Will follow along here. It’s the first time VicPD met the legal requirement to post the agenda a week in advance. Maybe the trade-off was “put nothing in there.” Agenda: vicpd.ca/wp-content/u... Stream: www.youtube.com/channel/UCKK... #vicpdboard 🧵
When VicPD lost some 2023 budget items on appeal, the province said they "did not provide sufficient evidence to support the need." Here VicPD provided incorrect evidence to Esquimalt but says the correct number, down 89% from what they said, is evidence enough. cheknews.ca/vicpd-chief-... #yyj
November 14, 2025 at 4:55 AM
When VicPD lost some 2023 budget items on appeal, the province said they "did not provide sufficient evidence to support the need." Here VicPD provided incorrect evidence to Esquimalt but says the correct number, down 89% from what they said, is evidence enough. cheknews.ca/vicpd-chief-... #yyj
VicPD wants another $11 million in 2026. That could pay for all the city's proposed cuts. Or for housing. Victoria councillors will be talking about the police budget on November 20th. Tell them you don't want 25 more police officers and $90 million spent on police!
November 14, 2025 at 3:17 AM
VicPD wants another $11 million in 2026. That could pay for all the city's proposed cuts. Or for housing. Victoria councillors will be talking about the police budget on November 20th. Tell them you don't want 25 more police officers and $90 million spent on police!
Here we can see VicPD has more officers per capita than 82% of U.S. police departments, for cities with over 100,000 people. 100,000 people is a cut-off Statistics Canada uses when reporting on police data, so I've replicated that here for comparison.
![Yellow background with black font. VicPD has more officers per capita than 82% of U.S. police departments. More than: [List of hundreds of U.S. jurisdictions]
Sources: Statistics Canada, "Police personnel and selected crime statistics, municipal police services," 2023.
Federal Bureau of Investigation, Law Enforcement Employees Data, 2023. Cities with population over 100,000.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:x2ojtemkdgeywq2ua6fx7gcu/bafkreiayimcb3dce2g5ykyuhjqoppu3ncrwwchus4nylve7ry5gyvqsncu@jpeg)
November 14, 2025 at 3:17 AM
Here we can see VicPD has more officers per capita than 82% of U.S. police departments, for cities with over 100,000 people. 100,000 people is a cut-off Statistics Canada uses when reporting on police data, so I've replicated that here for comparison.
VicPD already has the third-most officers per capita in the country, but they're trying to make the city hire 25 more. They also want $10,000 per new hire to buy new police cars. The average VicPD officer made $156,000 in 2024.
November 14, 2025 at 3:17 AM
VicPD already has the third-most officers per capita in the country, but they're trying to make the city hire 25 more. They also want $10,000 per new hire to buy new police cars. The average VicPD officer made $156,000 in 2024.
Here's a thread with an annual reminder that VicPD is overfunded and overstaffed. VicPD likes to say it's a special exception as a "downtown" police force, but they cost more per capita than every other department in B.C., including Vancouver. #yyj 🧵
November 14, 2025 at 3:17 AM
Here's a thread with an annual reminder that VicPD is overfunded and overstaffed. VicPD likes to say it's a special exception as a "downtown" police force, but they cost more per capita than every other department in B.C., including Vancouver. #yyj 🧵
The idea that nobody has ever suggested specific police budget items to cut is also insulting. It's 1) not true; and 2) if councillors are worried about runaway policing costs, they too can find items to reject within that $90 million. Perhaps they could even use city resources to help.
November 8, 2025 at 4:55 AM
The idea that nobody has ever suggested specific police budget items to cut is also insulting. It's 1) not true; and 2) if councillors are worried about runaway policing costs, they too can find items to reject within that $90 million. Perhaps they could even use city resources to help.
This is a frustrating narrative advanced by some councillors. Under the current council's term, Victoria and Esquimalt axed $902,000 from VicPD's 2023 budget, a 45% success rate that year. Pretty good! The province found VicPD couldn't justify those costs. But it meant councillors had to try. #yyj
November 8, 2025 at 4:55 AM
This is a frustrating narrative advanced by some councillors. Under the current council's term, Victoria and Esquimalt axed $902,000 from VicPD's 2023 budget, a 45% success rate that year. Pretty good! The province found VicPD couldn't justify those costs. But it meant councillors had to try. #yyj
Yesterday's Last Week Tonight speaking to my interest in dead former premiers.
November 4, 2025 at 12:37 AM
Yesterday's Last Week Tonight speaking to my interest in dead former premiers.
VicPD spent $13,750 on the venue, including catering, and $4,097 in staffing costs, trucking in officers "beyond their regularly scheduled duties" and paying them OT. They also shuttled their people to the event, and spent money to stream it, even though they don't stream their own budget meetings.
October 29, 2025 at 2:43 AM
VicPD spent $13,750 on the venue, including catering, and $4,097 in staffing costs, trucking in officers "beyond their regularly scheduled duties" and paying them OT. They also shuttled their people to the event, and spent money to stream it, even though they don't stream their own budget meetings.
I think that's the MLA pin (become an MLA, get a pin, people in the legislature know you're an MLA… something like that). Here are two others with it (picked at random from www.leg.bc.ca/members although they're not all wearing it) lims.leg.bc.ca/public/image... lims.leg.bc.ca/public/image...
October 25, 2025 at 4:20 AM
I think that's the MLA pin (become an MLA, get a pin, people in the legislature know you're an MLA… something like that). Here are two others with it (picked at random from www.leg.bc.ca/members although they're not all wearing it) lims.leg.bc.ca/public/image... lims.leg.bc.ca/public/image...
VicPD has also projected 5 years into the future. It’s a bit useless because they didn’t add up the totals, and it doesn’t include new projects/spending. I tried to add it up, and it looks like VicPD will want at least $99 million in 2027, and $115 million by 2030. The actual numbers will be higher.
October 22, 2025 at 11:08 PM
VicPD has also projected 5 years into the future. It’s a bit useless because they didn’t add up the totals, and it doesn’t include new projects/spending. I tried to add it up, and it looks like VicPD will want at least $99 million in 2027, and $115 million by 2030. The actual numbers will be higher.
VicPD consulted on this budget with: a police-affiliated group; neighbourhood assoc's; and business reps. Concerns: “perceptions of crime” (crime is down); homelessness (not a crime); and how to jail more people sans convictions, a rightwing idea supported by police, the BC NDP and federal Liberals.
October 22, 2025 at 11:08 PM
VicPD consulted on this budget with: a police-affiliated group; neighbourhood assoc's; and business reps. Concerns: “perceptions of crime” (crime is down); homelessness (not a crime); and how to jail more people sans convictions, a rightwing idea supported by police, the BC NDP and federal Liberals.
VicPD has also stolen the PACT acronym for its own program. I know PACT as a Peer Assisted Care Team, e.g., the non-police response crisis line via AVI. VicPD’s PACT is about embedding officers in communities. Unlike VicPD, a real PACT won’t hurt or kill people in crisis. avi.org/service/crcl/
October 22, 2025 at 11:08 PM
VicPD has also stolen the PACT acronym for its own program. I know PACT as a Peer Assisted Care Team, e.g., the non-police response crisis line via AVI. VicPD’s PACT is about embedding officers in communities. Unlike VicPD, a real PACT won’t hurt or kill people in crisis. avi.org/service/crcl/
Some budget oddities VicPD is framing as exciting. 1) They’re paying for “an internally hosted … AI system.” They don’t say what it is. They’re also paying for “virtual reality” taser training. What actually keeps people safe from tasers is no tasers. Don’t involve police in mental health response!
October 22, 2025 at 11:08 PM
Some budget oddities VicPD is framing as exciting. 1) They’re paying for “an internally hosted … AI system.” They don’t say what it is. They’re also paying for “virtual reality” taser training. What actually keeps people safe from tasers is no tasers. Don’t involve police in mental health response!
VicPD’s draft budget exploits an OPCC report to try to get bodycams back on the agenda, with at least $50,000 in spending in 2027 (not 2026). Bodycams don’t keep people safe. They’re a money pit that will suck up millions in perpetuity, and we will only see footage when it serves the police.
October 22, 2025 at 11:08 PM
VicPD’s draft budget exploits an OPCC report to try to get bodycams back on the agenda, with at least $50,000 in spending in 2027 (not 2026). Bodycams don’t keep people safe. They’re a money pit that will suck up millions in perpetuity, and we will only see footage when it serves the police.
I should say those officers would “notionally” be assigned to traffic work, because VicPD can always reassign them elsewhere. Case in point, there’s $511,000 on the books now for school liaison officers, but it’s officers who have ostensibly been “redeployed.” It’s all a shell game.
October 22, 2025 at 11:08 PM
I should say those officers would “notionally” be assigned to traffic work, because VicPD can always reassign them elsewhere. Case in point, there’s $511,000 on the books now for school liaison officers, but it’s officers who have ostensibly been “redeployed.” It’s all a shell game.
For the officers they say would do traffic work, VicPD is playing to council. But VicPD’s traffic work includes the risk of police violence, and targeting Black, Hispanic, Middle Eastern and South Asian drivers. You can have traffic safety without police. www.crimlawpractitioner.org/post/greenli...
October 22, 2025 at 11:08 PM
For the officers they say would do traffic work, VicPD is playing to council. But VicPD’s traffic work includes the risk of police violence, and targeting Black, Hispanic, Middle Eastern and South Asian drivers. You can have traffic safety without police. www.crimlawpractitioner.org/post/greenli...
VicPD also says they’re responding to “rising crime rates,” which they immediately have to footnote, because overall crime rates in Victoria are actually down. It’s a bit of a trap to engage on this, though. There’s no link between police spending and crime rates. utppublishing.com/doi/full/10....
![Several factors influencing this budget request has been outlined, including rising crime rates [footnote 1], complex social issues, and changes to regional policing collaborations.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:x2ojtemkdgeywq2ua6fx7gcu/bafkreie33do62fh6u25fhjz6xkwypzu7mpkuncyxzubd32wig3yqjbqtnu@jpeg)
October 22, 2025 at 11:08 PM
VicPD also says they’re responding to “rising crime rates,” which they immediately have to footnote, because overall crime rates in Victoria are actually down. It’s a bit of a trap to engage on this, though. There’s no link between police spending and crime rates. utppublishing.com/doi/full/10....