Professional Standards Office
Overview of Police Act Authority
The Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner has oversight authority of the British Columbia Police Act for complaints against municipal police officers.
The Police Complaint Commissioner is an independent officer of the provincial legislature with offices in Victoria and Vancouver. Police Complaint Commission staff oversee all aspects of Public Trust complaints including thorough reviews of the investigations.
How to Make an Informal or Formal Complaint
Assistance with Formal and Informal complaints can be found by contacting the Delta Police Department Professional Standards Officer. Immediate assistance can also be obtained through contact with the on-duty Supervisor, or Senior Constable 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The process for lodging a Formal complaint is:
- Complete a Complaint form
- Mail, fax or deliver the completed form in person to Delta Police Department or the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner.
The Chief Constable is the Discipline Authority for municipal police departments, under the oversight of the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner. Formal complaints will be coordinated between the Office of the Police Commissioner and the Office of the Chief Constable. In most cases, complaints will be assigned to the Professional Standards Office by the Chief Constable.
The Professional Standards Office
The Professional Standards Office is an independent section within each municipal police department established to investigate allegations of police misconduct. It is staffed by officers with specialized training in police discipline and in the handling of citizen complaints. Professional Standards Officers conduct Police Act investigations with objectivity, fairness and openness.
Other duties and responsibilities of Professional Standards Officers include:
- Managing all aspects of complaints in compliance with the requirements of the Police Act and Code of Professional Conduct Regulation
- Liaison with the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner
- Research and report on key issues
- Departmental risk management related to disciplinary trends and issues
- Provide periodic Police Act training to staff
- Administrate civil complaints in liaison with Corporation of Delta legal counsel.
The Professional Standards officers are Staff Sergeant CJ Kyle and Sergeant Rhen Hallett, who report directly to the Chief Constable, or in his absence, to the Deputy Chief Constable.
How to Contact the Professional Standards Office
| A/Inspector MacWilliams: | 604.595.2115 |
| Staff Sergeant Kyle: | 604.595.2166 |
| Sergeant Hallett: | 604.595.2172 |
(If voicemail, please leave a detailed message) |
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It is anticipated that in the course of thousands of contacts annually between citizens and members of the Delta Police Department some meetings may be unsatisfactory to members of the public. Often, mediation can address some of these concerns and lead to a satisfactory resolution. At other times, the Formal or Informal complaint process should be initiated to thoroughly investigate the allegations and determine the appropriate findings in accordance with the British Columbia Police Act, Code of Professional Conduct Regulation. The Delta Police Department Professional Standards Section can assist you with informal mediation and investigation of complaints related to Delta Police Department officers.
Confidentiality of Police Act Investigations
The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act does not apply to any record that arises out of, or is otherwise related to, the making, submitting, lodging or processing of a conduct complaint created on or after the conduct complaint is made, submitted or lodged (Section 66. 1 of the British Columbia Police Act). Police Act reports and investigations are therefore not subject to disclosure apart from exceptional circumstances, for example, matters under the Criminal Code of Canada or as a result of a Supreme Court civil disclosure order.
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