Stephen Harrison

Vancouver PD has also taken to sending bills for FOIs based on the hourly wages of the police searching their emails. Which they can't do for individual requesters or media, but it doesn't stop them from trying. Here's a bill I got (similarly, later reduced to $150, but only after OIPC intervened).

Calgary police "image recognition" software identifies individuals in photos & videos posted online Documents show that two years after being caught using Clearview AI facial recognition software, Calgary police signed contracts for AI software that scours photos and videos for individuals. Have pol...

SCOOP 🧵

Two years after being caught using Clearview AI facial recognition software, Calgary police signed contracts for "image recognition" software that scours photos and videos for individuals. 1/
drugdatadecoded.ca/calgary-poli...

Public safety trailers, police drones, miscellaneous 'police have deployed cctv' notices. The safety is off the charts!

Not directly related to this story, it's wild to me that to make a personal records request, Calgary PD asks for both a copy of your ID, and for you to take a selfie while holding your ID. Maybe they can add those to their database.

Great reporting from @drugdatadecoded.ca on Calgary PD's use of image recognition technology. And expensive reporting, too - it took $1,100+ in FOI fees to get this story and report it out! #cdnfoi

I can already think of the various reasons they'll say no (already deleted, active investigation, can't blur public, and/or GVERT's drone not ours so...) but a good idea to test the limits of police transparency when it comes to their tech. Will keep you posted.

Waterfront townhome proposal in Esquimalt faces neighbour opposition Council received more than a dozen letters opposing the project, with writers citing concerns about height and the impact on parking in the area.

"Maurine Karagianis, a nearby resident [and former NDP MLA] who has lived in the neighbourhood for 30 years, said she doesn’t feel the proposed townhomes are in keeping with the size and scope of the neighbourhood." Says past densification took her ocean view. www.timescolonist.com/local-news/w...

An older woman was struck by a motorist in a marked crosswalk in my neighbourhood last week, at Michigan and Douglas. I spoke with a police office at the scene who remarked that "there's poor visibility" (there is excellent visibility) and that the speed limit is 50 km/h (it's 40 km/h)...

Saw the city using seven bylaw vehicles, a dumpster and one police van to displace and steal from someone this morning. The city spends millions actively not housing people. #yyj

There's a #yyj police board meeting at 5pm. I can't make this one - if you tune in, you'll probably be the only person watching in the world! Public agenda: vicpd.ca/wp-content/u... Stream: www.youtube.com/channel/UCKK... #vicpdboard

There's a #yyj police board meeting at 5pm. I can't make this one - if you tune in, you'll probably be the only person watching in the world! Public agenda: vicpd.ca/wp-content/u... Stream: www.youtube.com/channel/UCKK... #vicpdboard

Calgary Police Commission declines to investigate deceit allegations as cops and corporate media get cozy Calgary police oversight is in crisis. Police commission failed to investigate alleged deceit by the chief for a year before dropping the files upon his resignation, which media have seemingly given u...

NEW
Calgary Police Commission sat for a year on at least 2 complaints of wilful deceit by former chief Neufeld following the May 2024 police brutality of protestors at the UofC.

In that time, documents show they failed to investigate the claims to any degree. 1/
drugdatadecoded.ca/calgary-poli...

I remember Fallout being quite good! I think 2 is the low point.

i've got to ask my #yyj city council how increasing the police budget helps me get high-quality and low-cost housing like this

"street disorder" is this moment's euphemism allowing everyone to avoid saying they can't bear to witness the consequences of their cowardice, the violence theyve done to the people they abandoned, many are still alive

send the police to address street disorder
www.timescolonist.com/local-news/v...

In Summary Council has directed the City Manager to: Hire 12 additional Bylaw staff, with a focus on deployment to Pandora, Princess and downtown (<$1.9million) Request deployment of 9 additional police officers to Pandora, Princess and downtown in general, with at least 2 of those officers dedicated to working full time in partnership with bylaw (<$1.35million) Match CSTEP funding to VicPD ($220,000) Increase public works attention to Pandora, Princess and the downtown (<$390,000) Start to rehabilitate and rebuild the public infrastructure on the 900 block of Pandora Avenue and Princess Avenue (<$3.75million + <$1.1million) Increase funding for more relocation services provided by non-profit service providers (<$624,000)

Enhance city emergency weather crisis response (<$308,000) Investigate purchase and staffing of a vehicle to assess and transport unhoused persons from Pandora, Princess and the downtown (<$180,000 + $440,000) Investigate and establish new short term shelter options including up to two managed, secure, short term emergency shelter spaces (<$1.95million + <$850,000 + <$300,000) Resource community service providers to fill unused spaces at existing shelters (<$250,000) Collaborate with Princess Street establishments to eliminate sheltering, and sustain its absence Confirm that $10.35 million will be allocated for these purposes from reallocations of funds diverted thus: $700,000 from planned contributions to the housing reserve for 2025 and 2026, $1.5million from funds allocated for Royal Athletic Park, $1.65million from the city’s current housing reserve, $2.5million from funds allocated for Centennial Square, and $4million from the Financial Stability Reserve.

They could have given everyone $680 a month. Instead we get a morally bankrupt vision to jail and displace more people. www.victoria.ca/city-governm...

A new, time-limited working group will act on requests from housing providers for more authority to respond to urgent safety issues and to explore the potential to remove supportive housing from the Residential Tenancy Act. This will help to better address problematic and dangerous individuals taking advantage of vulnerable people, and better respond to weapons and criminal activity within supportive housing

huh.

what have residents requested

nothing? REALLY

oh i see nobody asked them.

here's the BCNDP agreeing to remove supportive housing from the RTA.

Report is here. pub-victoria.escribemeetings.com/filestream.a...

Recommendation 7.15, "Move to adopt bail reform policies, which would see repeat and violent offenders held within institutions for longer, while increasing focus and emphasis on rehabilitation and community-based intervention programs to address over-incarceration of visible minorities, Indigenous people, and people of colour, while emphasizing upstream interventions and prevention." Lead: Federal government. "Safety and wellbeing factors": safety and safety perception.

Recommendation 1.22. Improve safety in supportive housing facilities by working with police and supportive housing providers to amend the Residential Tenancy Act to permit: lawful interventions in cases where tenants may have weapons; transferring residents deemed unsafe; and staff entering units to support healthy and safe living conditions. Lead: provincial government. "Safety and wellbeing factors": housing; safety and safety perception.

Recommendations also include having the city endorse shameful lobbying efforts to erode people's rights by imprisoning more people not convicted of a crime, and to undermine the Residential Tenancy Act. In other places "bail reform" means things like "end cash bail"; here, it's rightwing nonsense.

Screenshot from Victoria's Community Safety Plan. Recommendation 7.3 is to "Confirm minimum automatic annual police budget increases matching annual inflation rates." The City of Victoria is named as the "lead"; 2026 is the timeline; and the "safety and wellbeing factors" are "safety and safety perception" and "improved services."

I see Victoria's "Community Safety Plan" recommendations include permanent automatic budget increases for the police. The city already rewards VicPD with more than that every year, but adopting this measure would codify a long-term commitment to the status quo. Police don't keep people safe.

Vancouver Police Board learned about ‘Task Force Barrage’ through mayor’s announcement, chair says An oversight body whose role it is to develop the Vancouver Police Department’s budget, wasn’t part of the approval process for a multi-million dollar initiative aimed at targeting crime on the Downto...

”Frank Chong, the chair of the Vancouver Police Board, said the board learned about the $5 million dollar plan, named ‘Task Force Barrage,’ through Mayor Ken Sim’s press conference with then-chief Adam Palmer in February.”

this is IMMENSELY fucked up

www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/ar...

this is The Body Camera: The Language of Our Dreams by @equalityalec.bsky.social, which explains the costs of police body cameras

bpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/campuspress....

On the laughable point upthread about VicPD 'falling behind' on technology, I would point to their Terradyne armoured vehicle; their drone program which is more expensive than they will publicly say; their constant engagement with Axon on tasers and surveillance tech.; etc.

Hayes: Board has received results of 2025 community survey [$10,000 or-so money pit per year for people to say they fear visible poverty and that maybe police are an answer???]. Will be published soon. Meeting adjourns.

Police retirements while under investigation — Needs More Spikes FOI shows the number of VicPD officers who retired while under investigation over 10 years.

Manak: Says delays in determining whether complaints are admissible taking toll on officers. [Here are some stats on VicPD retirements while under investigation: www.needsmorespikes.com/blog/2024/2/... ]

Hayes: What can the board do in a prolonged investigation to support officers? "Is there an advocacy role … for looking for better timelines?" VicPD: Biggest value is speaking and advocating on our behalf to OPCC. [VicPD's 'we support the OPCC' shirt is raising a lot of q's answered by shirt]

Hayes suggests not spending on tech and bodycams could affect recruitment; Manak agrees. Hayes: Asks if recordings of incidents will "contribute to wellness" of officers. VicPD: Says it will be better for officers and could reduce investigation timeline. [Bodycams are for cops, not the public]

Manak says it would be "cost-prohibitive" to implement a full program in 2026. [Surely the plan is to ultimately do it, though? Millions and millions to spend and waste]. Hayes calls technology "a governance issue" [the board participates in lobbying events from technology companies]

Manak: Are now going to propose "a small introduction" program in 2026. A full implementation "will be extremely costly" for transcription, storage, privacy, cataloguing, reporting out, disclosing. Says he 'wants to make sure community is on board.' [Sounds like something to campaign against]

Faoro: "Do we know the cost to fully implement body-worn cameras for all frontline officers" and ongoing costs? Manak: Had asked for a $150,000 pilot in 2023 [rejected by councils, and then province on appeal]. Says "VicPD is falling behind with technology" [pardon me, no]