Police Accountability and Oversight

Question 1

What are several ways that police officers are held accountable?

Answer 1

• Political accountability
• Legal accountability
• Accountability to administrative agencies
• Direct public accountability
• Accountability to the community
• Special ad hoc accountability
• Cell phones

Question 2

Governance of Police

Answer 2

• Police Acts
• RCMP Act/Provincial/Territorial Police Acts
• Policing Standards
• Police Boards & Commissions

Question 3

What do Police Acts do?

Answer 3

Provide legislative framework for police services and principles

Question 4

What are the 3 Oversight Models?

Answer 4

Dependent: Police investigating police
Interdependent: Police & civilians investigating police (hybrid model)
Independent: Civilians investigating police (little to no police involvement)

Question 5

Two types of oversight of police in BC?

Answer 5

Internal and external

Question 6

Internal oversight

Answer 6

Internal professional standards section and tasked with investigating other police services

Question 7

External oversight

Answer 7

Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner (OPCC/Hybrid model) and Independent Investigations Office (IIO/Independent model)

Question 8

Difference between OPCC and IIO?

Answer 8

OPCC handles complaints about municipal police misconduct

IIO handles police involved deaths and use of force resulting in serious bodily harm

Question 9

Where does the IIO have jurisdiction?

Answer 9

All of BC’s police agencies including municipal and RCMP

Question 10

Where does the IIO get their authority?

Answer 10

From the BC Police Act, which requires police to notify them of all relevant incidents

Question 11

What are the 3 types of complaints against police?

Answer 11

Service and policy
Public trust
Internal discipline (related to officer conduct against colleagues)

Question 12

Oversight of the RCMP

Answer 12

RCMP External Review Committee and the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission (CRCC)

Question 13

Role of the RCMP External Review Committe

Answer 13

Hears appeals from RCMP members who have been disciplined

Question 14

Role of CRCC

Answer 14

Independent federal agency that receives and reviews complaints made by citizens about the conduct of RCMP officers

Question 15

Role of Police Commissions

Answer 15

Hear appeals from officers, investigates how police services are delivered, and receives complaints from the public

Question 16

Role of Police Boards

Answer 16

Receive complaints about policies and procedures, training, response to assistance, and resource allocation

Question 17

Forms of misconduct

Answer 17

Profit motivated crimes
Off-duty crimes against persons
Off-duty public order crimes
Drug crime
On-duty abuse
Obstruction of justice
Failure to perform
Conduct related probationary

Question 18

Economic corruption

Answer 18

Acting on economic opportunities created by one’s authority for personal gain

Question 19

Abuse of authority

Answer 19

Involves officers’ misuse of their power and authority

Question 20

Three types of abuse of authority

Answer 20

Physical abuse
Psychological abuse
Legal abuse

Question 21

Forms of physical abuse

Answer 21

Excessive force, physical harassment, retaliation

Question 22

Forms of psychological abuse

Answer 22

Disrespect, harassments, intimidation, and deception in interrogation

Question 23

Legal Abuses

Answer 23

Unlawful searches and seizures, manufacturing evidence, perjury, planting and hiding evidence

Question 24

Sexual misconduct

Answer 24

Sexual extortion by police officers

Question 25

Noble Cause Corruption

Answer 25

Mindset that the ends justify the means

Question 26

3 types of explanations for police corruption

Answer 26

The rotten apple
The rotten barrel
The rotten orchard

Question 27

The rotten apple

Answer 27

The officer alone is deviant, and that it was simply a mistake to hire him or her

Question 28

The rotten barrel

Answer 28

Small groups develop a micro-culture where there seems to be a pattern of corruption especially within special units

Question 29

The rotten orchard

Answer 29

When a culture of misconduct pervades an organization that include internal and external issues i.e., workplace harassment and police brutality