As has been reported in the Vancouver press, and revealed at City council hearings, the Vancouver Police Department has overspent its budget at least eight million dollars in the last two years combined. This is not by any means the only time the VPD has gone over budget, as in fact this year marks the NINTH year in a row they have over spent was is prescribed BY LAW in the Provincial statute and Vancouver City Charter.

Now, after it was revealed that some of this overspending was for items like dry clearing and office furniture, and not (as they claimed) items vital to the public safety [Yawn, when have we NOT here this same smelling crap from the police and government?] they have the gall to suggest that they are still under funded..

July 9, 2003

Vancouver police say a lack of funding won't stop their crackdown on the Downtown Eastside. The VPD wanted more than a million dollars from the city to continue the clean-up. But Council wants to wait for an independent report on the effects of the project first.

Police say they will pool their resources from other departments to keep the project alive.

The evaluation report isn't expected until November.

http://www.vancouvertelevision.com/displayresults.jsp?id=/news/stories/2003/07/news-20030709-10.htm

July 8, 2003

More legal trouble for the Vancouver Police. The alleged victims of a beating by six cops earlier this year have filed a civil suit. Phil Rankin, the lawyer representing the four plaintiffs, filed a writ at BC law courts today. His clients are seeking punitive and exemplary damages. Rankin says it's the only way to make police accountable.

"The civil process is the best way for courts to recognize that people hurt by police is to award punitive damages that will have the effect of settling complacency in the police force." The defendants named in the suit include, The City of Vancouver and six Vancouver police officers. The officers are accused [now convicted] of taking three men to Stanley Park in January where they beat them.

http://www.vancouvertelevision.com/displayresults.jsp?id=/news/stories/2003/07/news-20030708-09.htm

BC January 3, 2005

Approval has gone through for the Vancouver Police Department to obtain the Lower Mainland's first fully equipped police helicopter, BCTV News on Global has learned.

Helicopters have been a mainstay of American police forces for years now, and they are also in some use in Calgary, Edmonton and Toronto. Police say they allow officers to track criminals more effectively, but others say they are a high cost public relations gimmick.

It is hoped the helicopter will help prevent ground chases and the car crashes that sometimes result. But in reality, chase rates have often increased substantially in those US cities using the helicopters, and they have even become a regular police chase "reality TV" feature.

Despite many common myths put out by police department public relations, there is no trustworthy data to suggest a helicopter flying over a massive urban area has any discernible effect on reducing police chases.

The VPD has been lobbying for a chopper for nearly a decade. Despite the fact that the department claims that it is under-funded, and had to curtail what it deemed to be "critical public safety concerns". Concerns that were never shared by members of Vancouver City Hall, who recently chastised the department for a record nine straight years of spending more than they were granted by law to spend.

Specifications for the new Lower Mainland shared police helicopter are being finalized. An announcement on funding and the operating regime is expected in the next few weeks. We're guessing the "funding" will come mainly from the tax payers of Vancouver, and the province of British Columbia.

Get your bets in now, folks!

Grant Bellows for BC Revolution.
http://www.canada.com/search/story.html?id=d5588d83-6910-422f-a3fa-e6d584fafe3c  also source..