As calls go out for changes to police enforcement around the world, questions are being raised as to how the Port Moody Police Department should operate.
This week, the six-member police board that oversees PMPD announced it will survey Port Moody residents on their opinions about body-worn cameras, street checks, police involvement in mental health calls, the level of militarization of uniforms, vehicles, and equipment, as well as police contact in local schools.
The survey is posted online on the department’s website.
Mayor Rob Vagramov said he welcomes the insight as part of a broader look at Port Moody police operations in light of issues being raised in the media.
“There is a big global conversation about the role of policing. I wanted to have this conversation brought down to the local level in Port Moody,” said Vagramov, who is also the chair of the Port Moody police board.
The survey is part of a wider effort to study the evolution of public safety in Port Moody, with a task force established earlier this summer to look in to the issue.
Vagramov hopes to get a wide array of people to participate in the task force as it takes a closer look at topics of public safety.
“The vision there is to get folks in the conversation on this regardless of where they stand on the issues,” he said.
The survey comes as various agencies, including School District 43, are asking for mental health calls to be done by professionals trained in mental health concerns.
However, PMPD recently attended a wellness check that resulted in an elderly woman being taken to hospital for care after she had fallen and hadn’t been able to communicate with anyone.
And while the issue of body cameras hasn’t yet arisen in the Tri-Cities, the Toronto Police Board recently voted to equip its police officers with body cameras.
The use of body cameras was also raised by the Independent Investigations Office in its 2015/16 annual report when it stated that footage from cameras would have potentially assisted in 93% of 71 investigations reviewed by the agency’s investigators.
