B.C. Police Misconduct Now Searchable in Public Database, But Officers Remain Anonymous

B.C. residents can now access a searchable database detailing police misconduct, after one of the province’s oversight bodies launched a new public tool aimed at improving transparency and accountability in policing.

The Discipline Decisions Digest, created by the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner (OPCC), went live this week. It includes proven (or "substantiated") allegations of police misconduct from across 12 municipal police departments, the Metro Vancouver Transit Police, the Stl'atl'imx Tribal Police Service, and the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit B.C.

“Transparency is a fundamental pillar for police accountability and enhancing public confidence in policing,” said Prabhu Rajana, the acting Police Complaint Commissioner, in a statement.

While the digest reveals what department an officer is from and what discipline was handed out, it does not include the names of individual officers.

Tool for public, media, and decision-makers

The OPCC says the digest is designed not only for the public and media to use for informational purposes, but also to help standardize how discipline is handled across departments. Decision-makers — like police boards or the OPCC itself — can review how past allegations were dealt with in similar cases.

The types of misconduct detailed in the digest range from neglect of duty to abuse of authority, improper use of force, and discreditable conduct.

Call for officer names to be included

While civil liberties advocates say the digest is a step forward, some argue it falls short of full accountability.

“It’s a step in the right direction,” said Jerome Igbokwe, an articling student with the B.C. Civil Liberties Association. “But we need to go further.”

He argues that the database should publicly name officers found guilty of misconduct — just as disciplinary rulings against doctors and lawyers in B.C. are tied to individual names.

“If you interact with a police officer who has a history of a particular misconduct, you take extra steps,” said Igbokwe. “It builds on the trust that society has. And if you know your name will be made public, it can influence future behaviour.”

OPCC defends anonymity policy

In response, the OPCC said naming officers could have wide-ranging impacts, particularly when misconduct is less severe.

“We are of the view that the public interest is not necessarily served by routinely naming individual police officers who have committed misconduct,” said the OPCC in a statement to CBC News.

“The public interest and public confidence in policing are better served with understanding what happened and what was done about it, rather than the identity of the person who did it.”

The OPCC said it continues to weigh the balance between transparency and fairness — but for now, officer names will not appear in the digest.