New recruits to the Victoria Police Department must now undergo training meant to better equip them to serve marginalized communities.
The department is launching its Before the Badge Program, which strives to build trust and reduce the chances of police officers causing harm to various cultural, religious, and minority groups.
“It is about building community trust and making sure that our communities have confidence in the Victoria Police Department,” said VicPD Chief Del Manak.
“We want to make sure that the officers know from day one – in fact, before they get their badge – the importance of community connections.”
The five-day training happens before new recruits are sworn in as police officers. It sees various community organizations host information sessions about themselves and their histories with police.
So far, roughly a dozen groups have signed on, including representatives from the 2SLGBTQ+ community, Victoria Native Friendship Centre, and the Intercultural Association of Greater Victoria.
“We did not give them the content to deliver,” Manak said. “We gave them some parameters of what we wanted them to … cover off, but it was done on their terms, with their message, and at a location that was picked by them.”
The Philippine Bayanihan Community Centre is hosting presentations for new recruits.
“Our fear is that… all the minority populations get lumped together,” said Meyen Quigley, a representative for the Filipino community.
The presentation to the cops-to-be also covers interactions with police that could have been handled better, Quigley said.
“The Philippines has a pretty spotty – to say the least – record in terms of law enforcement. So, some (Filipino people) come … with fear of the police, with stereotypes about police as thugs. So we also want to dispel that,” she said.
The Jewish community is also taking part, teaching new recruits about the Holocaust and antisemitism.
“It has a history that goes back 2,000 years. I mean, it’s not a new thing,” said Jewish Federation of Victoria and Vancouver Island president Sharon Kobrinsky.
VicPD piloted Before the Badge in January. It’s modelled after a Seattle Police Department program of the same name.
