APPENDIX D

PROVINCIAL STANDARDS FOR MUNICIPAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS

IN BRITISH COLUMBIA

This matrix indicates whether or not the policies written by various law enforcement agencies fulfill the requirements established by the Provincial Standards for Municipal Police Departments in British Columbia (the “Standards”).

When interpreting this matrix, there are a number of important cautions that must be kept in mind.

1.      Some agencies have adopted a verbatim wording of the Standards in their policies, while others have not.  Thus, in some agencies it is indisputable that a particular standard has been incorporated into policy given the common language in both the policy and the Standards.  However, when an agency has not adopted the same language as contained within the Standards, achievement of that standard is subject to interpretation, and it may be open to debate whether or not a particular standard has been satisfied in policy.  If the matrix indicates that a particular standard has been achieved by an agency, the agency either contains the Sstandard verbatim, or contains provisions that articulate (substantially, if not precisely) the requirements contained within the Standard.

2.      A number of the Standards are very generally worded.  (For instance, “Written policy governs the use and control of weapons and ammunition issued by the department.”).   Thus, policies have satisfied this Standard in a number of very different ways which vary significantly in detail.  Simply satisfying a Standard does not necessarily indicate how comprehensively that Standard has been satisfied.

3.      The Braidwood Commission has been provided with general uUse- of- fForce pPolicies and, in some instances, specific conducted energy weapons policies.  However, policy provisions specifically related to other types of force (such as vascular neck restraint) have not been submitted to the cCommission; and thus, in some instances it is unclear if an agency satisfies the Standards that relate to these force options.