Police officer program to end in Vancouver schools

Uniformed police officers will no longer be assigned to Vancouver public schools after trustees voted to end its school liaison officer program.

The program has been under review for almost a year due to concerns that uniformed officers make some students anxious or upset, including many identifying as Black, Indigenous or people of colour.

It’s w/a heavy ❤️ that I think of all the #youth who will no longer have an #SLO or benefit from the countless programs they run. @VancouverPD was hopeful that all #stakeholders could have worked together to find a path forward while preserving the program @VSB39. @VPDYouth https://t.co/7Aq8paFwja

— Fiona Wilson (@FionaWilsonVPD) April 27, 2021

Trustees voted eight to one Monday in favour of a motion to halt the program at the end of June.

The decision is supported by several groups, including the Vancouver District Parent Advisory Council and associations representing elementary and secondary school teachers in the city.

The school board will now work with Vancouver police and RCMP to create what the motion defines as a "new relationship" developing "trauma-informed approaches to working with children and youth."

Sgt. Steve Addison says in a statement that Vancouver police were open to an "evolving" relationship that could include roles for plainclothes officers in city schools.