Vancouver Police Board member resigns after vote to reconsider school liaison officer program cancelled

A member of the Vancouver Police Department's board has resigned after a vote on the proposed returnofthe school liaison officer (SLO) program was cancelled.

Rachel Roy announced she was stepping down after board vice-chair Faye Wightmansaid there wouldn't be a vote atThursday's board meeting as the program had been approved.

"I'm deeply disappointed aboutwhat happened here today," Roy said.

"I cannot make a difference on this board with the way that the board in particular restricts the flow of information and access to full debate."

SLOs were axed in 2021 due to concerns about the impact that police presence in schools had on the mental and physical well-being of students, especially students of colour. The Vancouver School Board voted the program back in November.

Roy said shehas yet to see empirical evidence to support the SLOprogramor a clearexplanation as to why the program is moving forward.

WATCH | Rachel Roy resigns

Vancouver Police Board member resigns after vote to reconsider school liaison officer program cancelled

1 year ago

Duration 1:57

Rachel Roy announced her intention to resign from Vancouver Police Board after a vote to reconsider the school liaison officer program was cancelled. Roy says she has yet to see empirical evidence to support the program. The cancellation of the vote led Sadie Kuehn, the co-chair of the VPD's African Descent Advisory Committee, who voiced concerns about the traumatizing effect of police in schools on racialized students, to say her time had been wasted.

The Vancouver Police Department announced the return of its SLOprogramwill include less formal uniforms, cultural awareness training and smaller, less-exposed firearms.

Intense meeting

Members of theVPD'sAfrican-descent advisory committee walked out of Thursday's meeting, calling the cancellationof the vote "insulting."

The committee says police don't need to be in schools and that their presence can be traumatizing for some students. Committee members said there has been alack of consultation with racialized students over the program.

Parker Johnson, a member of theadvisory committee, saidhe felt their oppositionto SLOs was not taken seriously.

"What is being done right now in our mind is a fiasco and you wasted our time asking us to come to a meeting which you've already made a decision on, so it seems like a bold-faced lie," he said.

WATCH | Committee co-chair slams vote cancellation

African Descent Committee lambasts Vancouver Police Board's decision to cancel vote to reconsider school liaison officer program

1 year ago

Duration 2:11

In her address to the Vancouver Police Board, Sadie Kuehn, the co-chair of the VPD's African Descent Advisory Committee, called the decision to cancel a vote to reconsider the school program "insulting."

Roy says civilianswould be a better alternative to police officers. She alsohas issues with guns in schools.

In response to those concerns, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim, who is a non-voting chair of the police board, said "there are guns in our schools."

Sim said he was "personally preyed" on by two gangs as a high school student in the '80s.

"For me personally, if it wasn't for the SLO program, I would've had some serious physical harm or I'd be in a gang or I'd be dead," he said.

The VPD says officers needto carry weapons to be able to react quickly to a situation, such asan active shooting.

The SLO programwhich will involve 15 constables, two sergeants and one youth co-ordinatoris set for the new school year in September.