Vancouver Police Department

From its humble beginnings as a one-man operation in 1886, to its current strength of more than 1,700 civilian and sworn members, the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) has long maintained a tradition of dedication to service "Beyond the Call," and working to make Vancouver the safest community in Canada. The Vancouver Police Department celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2011. For over a century-and-a-quarter the VPD has been keeping residents of Vancouver safe with a combination of innovative crime prevention techniques and old-fashioned police work The VPD is governed by the Vancouver Police Board under the authority of the British Columbia Police Act. The Police Board, which meets monthly, consists of the Mayor and other representative citizens of the city. Sworn police officers are empowered to enforce the criminal law, other Federal statutes, Provincial laws, municipal by-laws and to generally maintain law and order within Vancouver. The Chief Constable of the VPD is directly responsible to the Police Board and thereby the citizens of Vancouver. The Vancouver Police Department is divided into three divisions, with a Deputy Chief Constable commanding each division and reporting to the Chief Constable. These divisions and sections are further divided according to function or areas of responsibility. As of March 2013, the VPD has 389 civilian employees and 1,327 sworn officers.