True Blue Podcast

Guest host Daryl Baswick interviews retired Sergeant Shannon Perkins and current Manager of By-Law and Licensing Services for the City of Victoria.    Shannon has 30 years policing experience with London (Ontario) Police, Esquimalt Police and Fire and VicPD.  She talks about her memories of investigating the Reena Virk (14 year old teen) homicide file, managing the High Risk Offender program at Vi...

Sgt. Calvin Ewer is the NCO in charge of the newly formed Integrated Canine Section (ICS).  The K-9 handlers and their police service dogs are valuable resources to Patrol Officers in both VicPD and Saanich PD.  Everyone likes to talk about dogs! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wm4qHBTBek8 https://twitter.com/ics_k9 Sound editing done by Todd Mason. More about the Victoria City Police Union (VCPU)...

We talk with Peter Ciceri, a psychotherapist and trauma counsellor certified in the use of EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing) to manage trauma and PTSD.  His practice is generally used by first responders and he's really beginning to understand the struggles Police Officers are dealing with on a daily basis.  He says the brain can't distinguish between a psychical injury or...

**Update** On Tuesday October 5th 2021, the BC Government agreed to fund Trikafta as new medication for many people living with Cystic Fibrosis.    The VCPU is happy to see this announcement. Sgt. Dale Sleightholme is passionate about a new miracle medication for those living with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and the reason is that his son has been living with CF his whole life and he wants him to be able...

We talk with Tanya Silletta from E-Comm 9-1-1 and a long time VicPD Communications Centre employee.  Tanya gives her views on what a call-taker or dispatcher has to deal with in today's busy 9-1-1 world.  The job done within that field is critical to the success of any first responder attending calls for service.    VCPU members are thankful for the dedicated employees at E-Comm for the great...

Hear from Special Constable Eric Hinrichsen on the difficult job he and other guards have in caring for prisoners in the VicPD cells.  Working in the cells environment is often  an under appreciated roll within the VCPU.  Eric's stories about growing up on Vancouver Island playing basketball at UVIC and for Team Canada in the Olympics are pretty cool.   Sound editing done by Todd Mason. More...

Cst. Mike Jarosz is a recently trained as a Police Explosives Technician and serves as a tactical member of the Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team (GVERT).  Mike has 5 years experience at Victoria Police, his interests before policing included completing his degree at the University of Victoria in Chemistry and a couple of summers fighting fires in BC's forests.  Mike and his wife have...

In this episode, get to know  Jen Gilroy and her path to becoming a police officer.  She has completed 2 years service in the Patrol Division and loves being a street cop.  She has a background that includes service as a Corrections Officer and was a long time catcher for Team Canada in Women's Baseball.  Jen was previously mentioned in episode #9 when she and her partner saved the life of a...

Meet VicPD's only openly gay male police officer and hear him talk about the process of getting hired as a police officer and achieving his life-long goal!  Tom is currently posted to the mountain bike squad and is in his 6th year of policing.  Tom also provides some sage advice for young gay males thinking about becoming a police officer.  #Pride Sound editing done by Todd Mason. More about...

He drove from Victoria to Edmonton in his 77 Camaro to join the Edmonton Police Service in November 1987.  Staff Sergeant Craig Harper has been a Major Crimes Detective for half his career and was well-known for his affiant writing on homicide files.  We wish a happy retirement to Craig after a long and satisfying career. https://twitter.com/YEGPA Sound editing done by Todd Mason. More about the V...

As one of our newest Union members Allie gives you some insight into becoming a police officer.   She has less than 1 year experience but her background has prepared her for taking on the role and she's willing to learn.    Born and raised in the Victoria area Allie is committed to her community and to serve as a police officer in a respectful manner.   She is a graduate of the University of...

In January 1978, Clark was almost hired by the Victoria Police but he was deemed "too tall"; so a short time later he was hired by Esquimalt Police & Fire.  He continued as both a Police Officer and Firefighter until 2003 when the Provincial government ordered the amalgamation of Victoria and Esquimalt Police. Clark talks about some of the things that were part of why the amalgamatio...

The podcast team talks about the frequency of guns on the street that VCPU members are having to deal with.  Real or replica weapons are a disaster waiting to happen.  Gun violence is no joke and will impact our community in the worst way - offenders must be held accountable. Sound editing done by Todd Mason. More about the Victoria City Police Union (VCPU): -        Tweet us at https://twitter.co...

You have probably seen Cst. Cam MacIntyre on television but this podcast episode will provide you with much more insight into his life past and present. He grew up in Sooke, BC, he played hockey in the BJCHL, he is a Princeton University graduate, he was an NHL prospect, he enjoys being the media liaison officer and he's a new father! Sound editing done by Todd Mason. More about the Victoria...

Recent hate motivated incidents in the Victoria area have been occurring at places of worship and this is becoming a very disturbing trend.  Hear Detective Rob Horne (VicPD Hate Crimes Coordinator) talk about the difficulty of prosecuting hate motivated offences.  Breaking the cycle of hate needs to a priority in our community. Sound editing done by Todd Mason. More about the Victoria City Police...

Ross and Rae are two senior members of the Union with a great background and lots of life experience to pass on to young WHL hockey players.  Ross and Rae have been volunteering with the Victoria Royals for the past 10 years helping to make Victoria a great place to live and play hockey.  Numerous VCPU officers contribute to their local community by volunteering. @victoriaroyals http://www.victori...

The True Blue Podcast team talks about a recent officer involved shooting in the Royal Jubilee Hospital emergency room.  The VCPU has recently expressed concerns in the media about the level of violence in the community and some of the gaps in the services provided to people with mental health issues, people dealing with addictions and persons experiencing homelessness.  This episode highlights ou...

This is your chance to hear directly from the True Blue Podcast production team.  They will introduce themselves and talk a little bit about how busy members of the VCPU can be and how many different hats we wear outside of our regular policing duties.   Sound editing done by Todd Mason. More about the Victoria City Police Union (VCPU): -        Tweet us at https://twitter.com/VicPD_Union -       ...

Both guests had no intention of being police officers until they experienced a ride-a-long!  Fiona and Angela were hired by Vancouver Police where they started busy and challenging careers but found they wanted to explore options that might give them a better work/life balance.   Vancouver Island became an attractive option and the Victoria Police was recruiting  exempt (fully trained and experien...

With only 1 year experience on the road get to know Jaclyn and what she went through to get into  a policing career.  Jaclyn was part of the first JIBC Police Academy class to graduate during the COVID-19 pandemic.  She ran the POPAT wearing a medical mask and rubber gloves but as a competitive cross-fit athlete that was not much of a challenge! Sound editing done by Todd Mason. More about the Vic...

Hear this compelling story from one of our Manager's getting out on the road to witness the hard work and commitment of VCPU members.   Inspector Brown is a practicing lawyer, husband and father of two children, his family has a long history of policing in Victoria and Esquimalt. Sound editing done by Todd Mason. More about the Victoria City Police Union (VCPU): -        Tweet us at https://t...

These two young Constables from small town BC are full of energy and living out their dreams of being a police officer.  Citizens of Victoria and Esquimalt may think they're seeing double in 2021 when both Mack and Morgan get deployed to the Beat Section. Sound editing done by Todd Mason. More about the Victoria City Police Union (VCPU): -        Tweet us at https://twitter.com/VicPD_Union - ...

Chief Doug Richardson is a well respected former leader of the Victoria Police Department.  He talks about his policing career and how things have changed so much since he started with VicPD in 1967!  He has a great story about chasing a track and field champion from a crime scene. Doug lead the way and helped bring the Victoria Police Department into the future throughout his 8 year term as Chief...

Listen to S/Sgt. Conor King describe his experience with people addicted to opioids and his view on the future of Drug Laws in Canada.   Conor is qualified to present evidence in BC Courts as an "expert".  He has years of experience as a drug enforcement officer. Sound editing done by Todd Mason. More about the Victoria City Police Union (VCPU): -        Tweet us at https://twitter.com/V...

Sgt. Jan Malinosky is the NCO in charge of the Special Victims Unit and will be talking about her experiences and the difficult files her Unit works on.  She is also on the Executive of the Vancouver Island Association of Women Police (VIAWP), a new organization working to support, promote and empower the personal and professional development of women in law enforcement. https://instagram.com/viaw...