🍁Policing, Policy & Public Health: A Candid Conversation with Chief Adam Palmer

We sit down with Adam Palmer, outgoing Chief of the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) and newly appointed RCMP Assistant Commissioner, for a frank, highly practical look at where law enforcement, social policy, mental health, and substance use collide—what’s working, what isn’t, and how health + public safety might be able to row in the same direction.

Audience. a clinician, policymaker, or community leader 

What we dive into with our guest: 

• Decriminalization—lessons learned: why BC police initially supported a health-first path, what didn't work (public order + weak care pathways), and what guardrails are needed for real-world success.
• Integrated care pathways: inside Vancouver’s police–nurse partnerships (Car 87/88, Assertive Outreach, psych nurses in the command centre), with cohorts showing impact on police calls and ED visits.
• Targeting harm, not illness: how “Task Force Barrage” a city-aligned surge focused on violent offenders, traffickers, criminal networks alongside city sanitation and bylaw action-while reaffirming you can’t arrest your way out of social problems.
• Policy priorities for federal leaders:  bail reform for chronic violent offenders and scaling compassionate/secure care capacity for the small, high-risk subset chronically dangerous to themselves or others.
• AI readiness for health + public safety:  patient safety implications, and practical risk controls.
• How HCPs can help today: shared data pathways, and clinic-to-street feedback loops that improve triage and outcomes.

 

Chief Palmer argues for:

• Stronger three-level government alignment
• Thoughtful bail reform for chronic violent offenders
• Scaled “compassionate mandatory / secure care” capacity for the small but high-risk subset that may be dangerous to themselves/others
• Continued integration with healthcare as AI risks and city growth accelerate.

 

 

Guest Note: Adam Palmer served as VPD Chief (2015–2025) and has just announced his new role as Assistant Commissioner with the RCMP, attached to National HQ (Ottawa) while remaining based in BC.

 

ABOUT CHIEF CONSTABLE ADAM PALMER

CHIEF CONSTABLE ADAM PALMER took command as the 31st Chief Constable of the Vancouver Police Department on May 6th, 2015. Chief Palmer was born and raised in the Vancouver area.

Prior to joining the Vancouver Police, he studied Business Administration at Simon Fraser University and worked as a correctional officer. Chief Palmer began his career with the VPD in 1987 and since that time has worked in a variety of operational, investigative and administrative areas. He previously managed a long-term review of policing operations in Vancouver that resulted in improved efficiencies, the optimization of existing resources and significant increases in sworn and civilian police staffing. He was a Venue Commander during the 2010 Winter Olympics where he oversaw the security of figure skating and speed skating events.

Chief Palmer was President of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) from 2018-2020 and served on the CACP Board of Directors as Past President until August 2022. He served on the Board of Directors for the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) from 2018 to 2020. In January 2019, Chief Palmer was elected to and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Major Cities Chief Association (MCCA), which represents the largest police departments in the United States and Canada. Chief Palmer also serves as Chair of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU) Board of Directors, is a member of the National Executive Committee for the Criminal Intelligence Service of Canada (CISC), the Metro Vancouver Transit Police Board of Directors and the Criminology Advisory Committee for Kwantlen Polytechnic University. He is also a former Board member of the Canadian Police Knowledge Network (CPKN). In 2023, Chief Palmer became a Board Member for the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), a police research and policy organization.

In 2009, Chief Palmer was invested as a Member of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces and in 2017 was promoted to the rank of Officer of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces. In 2020, in recognition of the national and international scope of his service and leadership, the Governor General of Canada advanced Chief Palmer to the highest rank within the Order of Merit of the Police Forces, the rank of Commander.

In 2021, Chief Palmer received the Major Cities Chiefs Association Leadership Award, the first Canadian police officer to receive this honour. In 2022, he received the CACP’s Recognition Award for developing a national mentorship program for police executive leaders. As Past President of the CACP, Chief Palmer was chosen to receive the King Charles III Coronation Medal in 2024. He is the recipient of nine Vancouver Police Department Commendations and is a former VPD Police Officer of the Year.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.