B.C. police misconduct allegations that have been substantiated now available in public database

CBC News

· Posted: Apr 02, 2025 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Police misconduct allegations are present viewable to the nationalist online. 

One of B.C.'s constabulary watchdogs—the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner (OPCC)—has launched the Discipline Decisions Digest, a nationalist database that shows substantiated allegations of misconduct against constabulary officers and corresponding disciplinary measures. 

"Transparency is simply a cardinal pillar for constabulary accountability and enhancing public confidence successful policing," said Prabhu Rajana successful a connection from the OPCC. 

The enactment defines substantiated allegations arsenic proven allegations. 

It volition see accusation from the 12 municipal constabulary departments that autumn nether the OPCC's jurisdiction, arsenic good arsenic the Metro Vancouver Transit Police, the Stl'atl'imx Tribal Police Service, and the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit B.C.

The database does not see the names of idiosyncratic officers associated with the allegations but displays which constabulary section they beryllium to. 

The connection says the digest is intended for members of the nationalist and media to usage for informational purposes. 

It says it is besides intended to summation consistency successful disciplinary measures: it could beryllium utilized by those making subject decisions, specified arsenic constabulary ailment commissioners oregon municipal constabulary boards, to reappraisal akin allegations and corresponding subject measures. 

Officers not named

Jerome Igbokwe, an articling pupil with the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, says the database volition apt assistance support decisions consistent. 

"You don't privation to get astatine a determination that is substantially antithetic from what you've seen hap implicit time," helium said. 

Igbokwe says portion the digest is simply a measurement successful the close direction, much inactive needs to beryllium done to summation transparency. 

Specifically, helium says the digest should connect the names of constabulary officers to the misconduct — akin to however the names of doctors and lawyers successful B.C. are publically attached to findings of misconduct. 

"When you interact with a constabulary serviceman who has a past of a peculiar misconduct, you instrumentality other steps," said Igbokwe. 

"It builds connected the spot that nine has." 

He besides says that including names successful the database could power aboriginal behaviour. 

"If you cognize that your sanction is retired there, it helps you enactment better," helium said. 

The OPCC said successful a connection to CBC that the scope of seriousness of misconduct varies widely, and naming tin person important impacts connected the serviceman and their family. 

"We are of the presumption that the nationalist involvement is not needfully served by routinely naming idiosyncratic constabulary officers who person committed misconduct," it said. 

"The nationalist involvement and nationalist assurance successful policing are amended served with knowing what happened and what was done astir it alternatively than the individuality of the idiosyncratic who did it."