[van-announce] Vancouver Police Department - Public Complaints Online Database:

[Conrad Schmidt]

-PRESS RELEASE-

VPD Public Complaints Online Database:
An Independent Alternative to the Police Complaints Process


IN BRIEF:

In response to the Vancouver Police Department’s lack of accountability and
transparency, community members working with the Work Less Party have
created an online database for people to share their experiences with
unlawful behaviour by the VPD.

The website is located at:
http://www.worklessparty.org/vpd

IN DEPTH:

Introduction

The Vancouver Police Department has come under increasing scrutiny in recent
years for alleged heavy-handedness and a general lack of accountability.
Overpolicing has been criticized by some as a livability factor. The police
complaints process is seen by many as ineffective.

The VPD Public Complaints database exists as a community response to the
lack of transparency in the police complaints process. Unlike the Office of
the Police Complaint Commissioner, the VPD Public Complaints database is not
run by, or affiliated with, the Vancouver Police Department.

The project's aim is to provide easily searchable complaint information. We
feel the end result will give a clearer picture of the impact of policing on
our communities than a closed process.

How It Works

The VPD Public Complaints database works by accepting online incident
reports from citizens who wish to publicly complain about police behaviour,
anonymously or not. The submitted incidents are then reviewed by our
administrators and, if approved, become searchable by anyone who visits the
site.

Project Strategy

The VPD Public Complaints database is meant to be a tool that can be used by
individuals or civil liberties organizations (such as the BC Civil Liberties
Society or the Pivot Legal Society) to publicize and research problematic
incidents with the VPD.

In addition to providing the tool, we intend to publicize it through a
grassroots campaign. T-shirts can be purchased online, at cost, and we are
in the process of distributing promotional materials such as cards,
leaflets, and stickers.

After working to help the community contribute their experiences we intend
to open source the underlying application and promotional materials so as to
allow other regions with similar problems to deploy it.

How To Contact Us

If you have any questions about the project, please click CONTACT on the
navigation bar of the website:
http://www.worklessparty.org/vpd