A Macro Perspective on Police Oversight in British Columbia: An Exploratory Study of the Dynamics and Financial Cost of Accountability by Krista Stelkia B.A. (Hons), Simon Fraser University, 2012 Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in the School of Criminology Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Krista Stelkia 2016 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Summer 2016 Approval Name: Krista Stelkia Degree: Master of Arts (Criminology) Title: A Macro Perspective on Police Oversight in British Columbia: An Exploratory Study of the Dynamics and Financial Cost of Accountability Examining Committee: Chair: Dr. Gail Anderson Professor Dr. Curt T. Griffiths Senior Supervisor Professor Dr. Rick Parent Supervisor Associate Professor Dr. Neil Dubord External Examiner Chief Constable Delta Police Department Date Defended/Approved: June 30, 2016 ii Ethics Statement iii Abstract Independent civilian oversight of police has had rapid growth over the past decade in response to a number of high profile cases of police misconduct and public dissatisfaction with internal police investigations. The dynamics of the oversight process, however, have not been studied. This study examines the oversight of Royal Canadian Mounted Police and municipal police in the Province of British Columbia. This includes the financial cost of oversight, trends in public complaints against the police and the benefits and challenges of the current oversight system. The role of oversight in increasing police accountability, improving public confidence and shifting police behavior is also examined. Thirteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with persons from oversight agencies, police unions, special interest groups and professional standards units. The findings reveal the cost of police oversight has increased by 93.6% over five years. Municipal police spend more on oversight per year despite having three times less police strength than the RCMP. Major challenges facing the system include timely processing of complaints, the administrative burden of minor complaints, the difficulty in determining return on investment, and the two-tier complaint model within the province. Keywords: Canadian police; police oversight; police oversight models; complaints against police; costs of oversight; Royal Canadian Mounted Police iv Dedication In dedication to my sources of inspiration and whom I always strive to make proud, my amazing mother, Kim Stelkia, and my loving husband, Nino Khodabandeh. You both are the reason for everything that I am and to everywhere I am going, thank you. v Acknowledgements There are many individuals I would like to acknowledge and thank for helping me along this incredible yet challenging journey. First and foremost, I would like to thank Dr. Curt Griffiths for taking me on as a Master’s student and keeping me motivated along the way. Your regular check in’s and advice on the project helped me take the leap of faith to complete the study. I would also like to acknowledge and thank the longstanding patience and support of Dr. Rick Parent. You have been an ongoing pillar of support over the years, helping to guide me from when I was a naïve honours student all the way through to the completion of my Master’s. My interest in police accountability and oversight stems from your passion for excellence in policing. A huge thank you to my excellent research assistant, Danielle Cooley, whose hard work and dedication was integral to this study. I need to express my gratitude and deepest appreciation to my husband Nino for always encouraging and supporting me in all my academic pursuits. All your sage advice, amazing dinners, and ongoing belief that I can do better has helped me get to where I am today and where I am going tomorrow. I must also acknowledge the loving support of my family and friends who have either edited, proof read or listened to me banter on about my research over the years. I know not everyone gets as excited and enthusiastic about police complaints as I do, but I appreciate the humble patience in listening and supporting me. I am a strong believer that, if lucky, certain people come into your life at precise moments of time to help facilitate catalyst change. I would like to personally recognize and thank Dr. Jeff Reading for seeing the potential in me at a pivotal moment in my life and believing in my ability to contribute to the field. Your ongoing support and vote of confidence has given me strength to know I am making the right decisions in life. Lastly, I would like to thank all my participants for taking time out of their busy schedule to share their thoughts, views and experiences of the current oversight system in British Columbia. It is evident there are necessary changes that need to be made to enhance this system. By sharing your candid perspectives, it has helped shape the findings of the study and will hopefully contribute towards long term policy/legislative changes to the model in the future. vi Table of Contents Approval .......................................................................................................................................... ii Ethics Statement ............................................................................................................................. iii Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... iv Dedication ........................................................................................................................................ v Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... vi Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................... vii List of Tables ................................................................................................................................... ix List of Figures .................................................................................................................................. x List of Acronyms ............................................................................................................................. xi Introductory Quote ........................................................................................................................ xii Chapter 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................ 1 Chapter 2. Literature Review .................................................................................................. 4 2.1. Understanding Police Misconduct & Accountability ............................................................. 4 2.1.1. Criminal Code of Canada ......................................................................................... 4 2.1.2. Accountability and Ethics ........................................................................................ 6 2.1.2.1. Level of Accountability: Government & Policy ...................................................... 7 2.1.2.2. Level of Accountability: Police Department ........................................................... 8 2.1.3. Police Discretion and the Role of Media in Accountability .................................. 11 2.2. Models of Oversight ............................................................................................................. 13 2.2.1. The Oversight Spectrum ........................................................................................ 13 2.2.2. Internal Affairs/Professional Standards ................................................................. 15 2.2.3. Civilian Oversight .................................................................................................. 19 2.3. Research and Findings on Police Oversight ......................................................................... 20 2.3.1. Public Trust & Perception ...................................................................................... 20 2.3.1.1. Public Opinion in British Columbia ...................................................................... 21 2.3.2. The Police View ..................................................................................................... 22 2.3.3. Effectiveness of Oversight & Performance Indicators ........................................... 24 2.4. History of Oversight in Canada ............................................................................................ 27 2.4.1. Pioneers of Oversight: Special Investigations Unit ............................................... 27 2.4.2. Alberta Serious Incident Response Team .............................................................. 28 2.5. Oversight in British Columbia .............................................................................................. 29 2.5.1. Policy & Procedures for Complaints against the Police ........................................ 31 2.5.1.1. RCMP .................................................................................................................... 31 2.5.1.2. Municipal Police .................................................................................................... 34 2.5.2. Demand for Reform & Change .............................................................................. 36 Chapter 3. Methods ................................................................................................................