That OPCC cliche “unsubstantiated”
once again looks unsupportable
Another cryptic incident shows cops need citizen investigation
and the OPCC needs transparency and accountability
August 4, 2021
Video reveals Vancouver police violence that
had not been publicized or properly investigated.
This might be another cover-up, although maybe limited to Vancouver police and not also, as is usually the case, the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner. These incidents come to public attention accidentally, despite the secrecy of Police Act investigations and their OPCC “oversight.” Even so, the events reveal obvious flaws in B.C.’s system of cop accountability—flaws which the legislature seems determined to preserve and our social justice phonies implicitly support.
Global News has broadcast video from an apparently recent social media post showing a Vancouver cop shoving a man to the sidewalk, very suddenly and very hard, for no discernible reason.
The reporters quoted a Vancouver police response stating: “This incident was investigated last fall by the OPCC and was concluded unsubstantiated.”
VPD flacks sure pulled a fast one with that statement. The OPCC doesn’t investigate cops. The agency provides “oversight” (usually a review of sorts) for cop-on-cop investigations. The VPD’s misstatement might be intended to hide the fact that this VPD cop was investigated by other VPD cops. That’s standard practice under the Police Act but highly problematic, as shown by the thoroughly corrupt career of Rollie Woods.
The VPD statement continued, “This video came to our attention this weekend, and so we have now sent the video back to the OPCC for further review.”
Obviously the OPCC will have to determine whether the video challenges cop evidence and, as Global News asked, whether cops withheld their knowledge that the video exists.
If cops did acknowledge the video’s existence, were they scrupulous in trying to track it down and obtain a copy (instead of seizing the camera or phone, which could lead to destruction of evidence)?
Apart from re-evaluating one cop’s use of force, will the OPCC also consider penalties against him and his colleagues if the video shows they lied?
Will the OPCC scrutinize the VPD’s conduct of its investigation as a possible breach of the Police Act? In the past the OPCC has turned a blind eye to dishonest cop-on-cop investigations. That’s hardly surprising, since the OPCC has taken part in cop cover-ups.
Citizen investigation could have avoided these obvious problems in the first place. Transparency, in this case publicity about the incident, the resulting investigation and the OPCC review, could have prompted an early response from independent witnesses including the guy with the video.
Body cameras would have allowed a more thorough investigation and might have encouraged more truthful statements from the cops. Body cameras might have discouraged the cop’s actions in the first place.
This case once again demonstrates the need for civilian investigation of cops, and transparency and accountability for the entire process including the secretive OPCC. Unfortunately an all-party legislative committee seems determined to maintain these aspects of an ethically corrupt status quo.
Read about B.C.’s Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner
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