Vancouver Police Department operates 44 teams, each composed of 10 to 12 members; and each assigned to a different region of the city. Starting in September 2009, for one year, two members of each team will be assigned each month to complete coding forms tracking the substance-related (drugs or alcohol) incidents that they deal with over the course of all their shifts for that month. Officers will record the nature of the call, whether the individual appeared under the influence, whether the subject was violent, and whether and in what quantities drugs were found on the person
Instrument Construction
The data collection instrument was designed based on the template of a warrant card used by the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) in previous research. In discussions regarding the extent of the information that could be collected, the Information and Privacy Unit Coordinator, Darrin Hurwitz, advised that the card could not collect any personal identifiers such as the subject’s name, date of birth, or any residential information. Subsequently, the card was revised to its current form in which subject information is limited to age, ethnicity, and gender. Additional information regarding possible substance addiction or whether the subject appears to be under the influence is collected.
As discussed, the VPD value knowledge regarding the behaviour of subjects involved in an incident with police. Therefore, the card includes reference to the presence/absence of violence as well as the degree of violence. The degree of violence is measured by low, moderate, and high, which is similar to the manner in which police typically categorize incidences of violence, i.e. into simple assault, assault causing bodily harm, and aggravated assault, respectively.
In order to collect information regarding the incidents to which substances are most often related, the instrument asks officers to record the nature of the contact, i.e. why they were in contact with the subject. Response options include: as a result of a dispatched call, through an arrest or placing someone in custody, in the context of a traffic stop, as the result of an outstanding warrant, through a street check, or due to some other suspicious circumstance. In addition, there is an 'other' response option to provide officers with the ability to include additional reasons for the contact, if necessary.
The manner in which officers respond to substance-related incidents is also of value to both the VPD and the research team. Possible response options include seizing and retaining the substance as evidence, or seizing and discarding the substance. In addition, the officer has the option of simply warning, ticketing, or arresting the subject. Information regarding the extent to which these various responses to police-related incidents occur will be collected with the instrument. Information pertaining to what specific substance was found, as well as the quantity, will also be recorded by the officer. The purpose of the substance will also be recorded to determine whether subjects intended to traffic the substance or possessed it for personal use.
To date, the research instrument has gone through multiple revisions and has received approval from the Information and Privacy Coordinator of the VPD.
Sampling Design and Collection of the Data
There are approximately 500 patrol-level officers who will be involved in the collection of substance-related data. Officers during all shifts will be involved in order to provide a 24-hour picture of the Vancouver substance scene. These officers are organized into four main districts.
FIGURE 1: Vancouver Police Department Districts
District One includes the West End, Yaletown, Coal Harbour, and the Central Business District, including such locations as GM Place, Canada Place, BC Place, and the Trade and Convention Centre. This area is populated by approximately 300,000 people during the day. However, during celebrations, such as the 'Celebration of Light' (fireworks), the night-time population substantially increases.
District Two consists of the areas of Grandview-Woodlands, Hastings Sunrise, and Strathcona. Each of these areas has a Community Policing Centre as the district emphasizes the principles of problem-oriented policing. District Two also operates a Waterfront Team, and foot- and bicycle-beat officers.
District Three is located in the southeast of Vancouver covering the areas of Mount Pleasant, Kensington-Cedar Cottage, Renfrew-Collingwood, Sunset, Victoria-Fraserview, and Killarney. Within District Three are Neighbourhood Integrated Service Teams who are tasked with responding to identified community problems such as maintenance of buildings, public safety, and problem tenants. District Three also operates two Community Policing Centres.
District Four is located in the southwest of Vancouver, encompassing a large area of West Point Grey, Kitsilano, Fairview, Dunbar Southlands, Arbutus Ridge, Shaughnessy, South Cambie, Riley Park, Musqueam, Kerrisdale, Oakridge, and Marpole. District Four represents almost half (48%) of the geographical area of Vancouver, with approximately 36% of the residents. There are 125 officers working rotating shifts in this district. Their tasks commonly include property-related incidents such as theft, house alarms, or break and enters. There is one Community Policing Centre in this region, staffed by approximately 90 volunteers.
There are approximately 44 teams of officers across the four districts. Each month, two members of each team will be assigned to complete the coding forms during all of their shifts for that month. This methodology will ensure that all officers are given a chance to participate in the project, but will also avoid over-burdening a select few officers who would otherwise be randomly selected to collect all data for this project. This methodology should also increase compliance rates as individual officers will only be asked to comply with the project for approximately one month.
The data will initially be collected for 12 months. However, throughout the process, the data will be analyzed and progress reports will be completed. Ideally, however, this project will continue for a longer period of time.
Each officer will be given a supply of the research instrument which will be printed on thick card stock to prevent cuts. Following each substance-abuse-related incident, the officer will complete one of the cards. Completed cards will be dropped in a designated sealed collection box, one of which will be located at each of the VPD detachments. Approximately every two weeks, these cards will be picked up by the Project Manager, Amanda McCormick, and brought back to the BC Centre for Social Responsibility at the University College of the Fraser Valley where they will be entered into an SPSS database. Once the cards have been entered into the database, they will be stored in UCFV’s secure laboratory until the completion of the project.
Data Analysis
Initial analyses of the data will involve the number of substance-related incidences tracked, the frequencies of which substances are consistently involved in police-related incidents, the typical police response to the subject and the substance, and the nature of contact that most frequently results in these substance-related incidents.
After six months of data collection using the monitoring card, the summary report will include information regarding the needs and the challenges of implementation to allow other jurisdictions to follow in Vancouver’s footsteps.
Project Timeline
To date, the data collection instrument has been approved by members of the Vancouver Police Department. The project is currently undergoing ethics review at the University College of the Fraser Valley. Given that VPD will be responsible for training VPD officers in the purpose and use of the coding instruments, during this time, VPD personnel will begin developing their training protocols.
Additional next steps include:
- Develop a communications strategy for the VPD on the tool and the procedures around data collection;
- Send out the Introduction Letter to all VPD officers;
- Provide officer training on the tool itself; and
- Data collection and report writing (described below).
The estimated date that data collection will begin in September 2009. After the first month of data collection, an initial analysis of the data and a follow-up consultation with the VPD will be conducted to ensure that the methodology is appropriate. Collection of the data will then continue for the period of one year. As the data is collected, it will be immediately entered into an SPSS database. In addition, interim reports describing the success of the data collection, the identified problems as they arise and how they were dealt with, and recommendations for implementation for other jurisdictions will be produced over the course of the year. The final report will be written a year after the data collection has begun.