Vancouver police sue city over private security deal
The president of the Vancouver Police Union has launched a court action to halt the city's expansion of a private security contract, saying the money could be better spent on the police force.
Const. Tom Stamatakis filed a petition on Friday in B.C. Supreme Court to set aside a Vancouver city council decision to pump nearly $900,000 into the Downtown Ambassador program.
The program, run by the private firm Genesis Security, is staffed by 16 full-time security personnel who patrol the downtown area reporting crimes and helping people with directions.
The company's website states its goal is to "to address 'quality of life' issues such as panhandling, litter, illegal vending, graffiti etc., with the understanding that these issues not only affect the general quality of life in the downtown but also the overall crime rates."
Stamatakis said the union's petition demands that the decision be set aside on the grounds that city council is using tax dollars to fund a private security company to deliver services that would normally be provided by a public police force.
"City council's done nothing to address the well-documented staffing issues that we're struggling with," he said in an interview Monday. "Yet, with little or no consultation, they come up with almost a million dollars to fund what is essentially a private security company."
Stamatakis added the program, launched a few years ago by the Downtown Business Improvement Association, has no public oversight, and additional funding for security staff could instead pay for seven positions in the understaffed police department.
Council voted 6-4 to expand the Downtown Ambassador program to other areas outside the downtown core as part of Project Civil City, a city initiative aimed at reducing public disorder and halting the open drug trade.
Stamatakis expected the court petition to be heard quickly but said there has been no response from Vancouver officials yet.
A spokesperson for city hall was not available for comment.