Warning: This story deals with disturbing subject matter that may upset and trigger some readers. Discretion is advised.
A senior member of the Vancouver Police Department is on administrative leave after a reportedly ordering the creation of a controversial poster hung at the Graveley Street headquarters.
The poster, which has now been taken down, contained images of several police officers below the Forensic Identification Unit — IDENT — title and caption, “Swabbing penises for over 100 years.”
Sources told Global News that an on-duty sergeant requested the photos from his colleagues in recent weeks and instructed a civilian staffer to make them into the poster. That work was done on company time, the sources said.
Several complaints followed and Vancouver police have now launched an internal investigation.
“This is a serious matter, and we took immediate action when it came to our attention. We have policies in place to ensure a safe and respectful workplace, and are reviewing the matter internally,” the force wrote in an emailed statement.
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The Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner has been notified of both the poster and the VPD investigation underway.
In an interview, Angela Marie MacDougall, executive director of Battered Women’s Support Services, said the incident has compromised public trust in the department.
“It’s extremely disappointing any time we see a member of law enforcement, especially a leader of a very important unit, displaying this kind of behaviour in the workplace,” she said Friday.
“This is ultimately about public trust … public trust particularly around investigations of sexualized violence. So it’s very important that they take action, and that action needs to be swift and represent the seriousness of this kind of behaviour in a workplace.”
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