Cst. Mark Jenkins is assigned to work as the Burnside-Gorge Community Resource Officer (CRO) at VicPD.  Mark has a very difficult job of working as liaison for the citizens in that zone and working with multiple supportive housing organizations all in an effort to harmonize the needs of both.  Mark is an excellent communicator and is willing to talk to anyone.

Sound editing done by Todd Mason.

More about the Victoria City Police Union (VCPU):

- Tweet us at https://twitter.com/VicPD_Union

- Follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/vicpd_union/

- Find us on FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/truebluevictoria/

- Visit our website for information at https://truebluevic.ca/

- Email us at [email protected] for any media inquiries or requests to be on the True Blue Podcast

Host, Matt Waterman goes on a rant about the continuous problems we see at Victoria/Esquimalt Council table where elected officials keep playing politics with Public Safety.
The Police Board system in BC is broken.
Mental Health supports outside the police department need to be shored up.
BC's Criminal Court process is allowing way too many criminals to roam our streets without considering the safety of everyday citizens.
The VCPU needs the citizens of Victoria and Esquimalt to vote in October 2022 for elected officials who support Public Safety and that will honestly and completely support our members who everyday strive to make our communities a better place to work, live and enjoy as a visitor.

Sound editing done by Todd Mason.

More about the Victoria City Police Union (VCPU):

- Tweet us at https://twitter.com/VicPD_Union

- Follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/vicpd_union/

- Find us on FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/truebluevictoria/

- Visit our website for information at https://truebluevic.ca/

- Email us at [email protected] for any media inquiries or requests to be on the True Blue Podcast

Transcendental Meditation (TM) is a simple, natural technique... This form of meditation allows your body to settle into a state of profound rest and relaxation and your mind to achieve a state of inner peace, without needing to use concentration or effort.

Many police officers and other first responders practice TM to help alleviate the stresses of the job, while others use it to reduce anxiety, depression and anger.  Over 10 million people around the world have been trained in TM.

We hear from Garry Foster a certified TM teacher and Les Sylven a retired police officer and long time user of TM in this episode.  Garry has delivered training to some members at VicPD and wants to encourage others to consider learning the TM method.  Les, in retirement, continues to further his education at UVIC studying the effects of TM on senior police leaders from across Canada.

Some useful links:
https://ca.tm.org/en/transcendental-meditation-sidney
https://www.davidlynchfoundation.ca/en/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh7Yru3cHoA

Sound editing done by Todd Mason.

More about the Victoria City Police Union (VCPU):

- Tweet us at https://twitter.com/VicPD_Union

- Follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/vicpd_union/

- Find us on FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/truebluevictoria/

- Visit our website for information at https://truebluevic.ca/

- Email us at [email protected] for any media inquiries or requests to be on the True Blue Podcast

We speak with Retired Saanich Police Chief Scott Green and hear from him after 34 years of service to his community.  Scott grew up as a Victoria Police kid; his father Detective Inspector Blake Green served for 32 years.  He talks about his diverse policing career that  prepared him for the ultimate position of Chief; he served as exhibit officer for the Reena Virk homicide, he spent many years on the Greater Victoria Police Emergency Response Team (GVERT) and became Team Leader and he served as Incident Commander for the Peter Lee homicides in Oak Bay.  Scott talks about the Lindsay Buziak investigation and speaks positively towards the efforts put forward by his officers involved in this case.   We couldn't get Chief Green to agree with our amalgamation views but you'll hear his personal opinion.
Thanks to Scott for sharing his experiences and thoughts with us on the True Blue Podcast and we wish him a long and happy retirement.

Sound editing done by Todd Mason.

More about the Victoria City Police Union (VCPU):

- Tweet us at https://twitter.com/VicPD_Union

- Follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/vicpd_union/

- Find us on FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/truebluevictoria/

- Visit our website for information at https://truebluevic.ca/

- Email us at [email protected] for any media inquiries or requests to be on the True Blue Podcast

Meet the newest Executive member of the VCPU, Tom Stamatakis will hold the Director at Large position for 2022 through 2024, congratulations to Tom.  Hear him tell you about his career highlights and what he looks forward to as your Union representative.
Tom plans to make sure the Union remains a voice of reason in the community and specifically to encourage the taxpayers of Victoria and Esquimalt to vote in local Municipal elections and support the Police Department.  Tom calls out Ben Isitt on this episode for his actions and behaviour while serving as a City Councillor.   

Sound editing done by Todd Mason.

More about the Victoria City Police Union (VCPU):

- Tweet us at https://twitter.com/VicPD_Union

- Follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/vicpd_union/

- Find us on FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/truebluevictoria/

- Visit our website for information at https://truebluevic.ca/

- Email us at [email protected] for any media inquiries or requests to be on the True Blue Podcast

You don't want to miss this episode!  Daryl Baswick interviews Jacqueline Zweng (JZ) who is the Executive Director of Wounded Warrior Run BC.  JZ is a serving member of the Cadet Instructor Cadre (CIC), a breast cancer survivor and the energy behind the Wounded Warrior Run on Vancouver Island.

Her story of surviving cancer is amazingly emotional and she turns that story into motivation for so many veterans and first responders suffering from trauma.  JZ describes the beauty of Vancouver Island, it's people and their spirit so eloquently. 

The Victoria City Police Union will be represented in the 2022 run by Sergeant Steve Kowan.   
The 9th Annual Wounded Warrior Run will take place between 27 February - 6 March from Port Hardy to Victoria.
To donate visit https://woundedwarriorscanada.akaraisin.com/ui/woundedwarriorsvirtualrun

Sound editing done by Todd Mason.

More about the Victoria City Police Union (VCPU):

- Tweet us at https://twitter.com/VicPD_Union

- Follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/vicpd_union/

- Find us on FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/truebluevictoria/

- Visit our website for information at https://truebluevic.ca/

- Email us at [email protected] for any media inquiries or requests to be on the True Blue Podcast

The True Blue Podcast introduces you to one more of the 7 new recruits from Class #167 being trained at the Police Academy in New Westminster in the Spring of 2022.   Cst. Steve Austin was born in Melbourne, Australia but grew up in Nanaimo; he is a dual citizen of Canada and Australia.  He has great experiences travelling the world before  becoming a police officer.   Steve set out for Nepal right after high school to teach first aid and he made it to Everest Base Camp but describes that experience as not enjoyable.   He came back to Canada to get married before going to China with his new wife to teach English; after that they decided to spend time in Brisbane, Australia where Steve completed his Criminal Justice program.  That landed Steve a job with the Queensland Police as an intel analyst working in the Child Abuse & Sex Crimes Unit.  Steve also serves in the Australian Army Reserve and currently keeps active with the Army at the 5th Field Artillery Regiment.   Steve will be away from his wife and 2 very young children while at the Police Academy but he looks forward to the experience.

Sound editing done by Todd Mason.

More about the Victoria City Police Union (VCPU):

- Tweet us at https://twitter.com/VicPD_Union

- Follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/vicpd_union/

- Find us on FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/truebluevictoria/

- Visit our website for information at https://truebluevic.ca/

- Email us at [email protected] for any media inquiries or requests to be on the True Blue Podcast

The True Blue Podcast introduces you to 2 of the 7 new recruits from Class #167 being trained at the Police Academy in New Westminster in the Spring of 2022.   Cst. Justin Reed and Cst. Chris Allen both previously served as Reserves with VicPD and you will hear from both of them about their own unique path to becoming a police officer.   Justin has a degree in Psychology from UBC, worked at the Garth Homer Society and then for UVic Security before getting hired.  Chris has a degree in History as well as a teaching certification, he spent 5 years teaching high school at Belmont and serving in the Canadian Armed Forces as a Cadet Instructor for Royal Canadian Sea Cadets in his spare time.

https://joinvicpd.ca/

Sound editing done by Todd Mason.

More about the Victoria City Police Union (VCPU):

- Tweet us at https://twitter.com/VicPD_Union

- Follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/vicpd_union/

- Find us on FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/truebluevictoria/

- Visit our website for information at https://truebluevic.ca/

- Email us at [email protected] for any media inquiries or requests to be on the True Blue Podcast

Chris Coleman served on Council for the City of Victoria for 20 years.  His love of Victoria and it's people become evident in this interview.   Chris believes that if you're going to serve the public you should learn the most you can about all City functions.   Chris experienced multiple police ride-along adventures and got a chance to see the professionalism and dedication of police officers working in Victoria and Esquimalt.

Chris highlights the need for governors to understand the way police are effected on the street by decisions at the governing table.    He believes the principles of Sir Robert Peel still have a place in today's society and he quotes Principle #9 and notes how it can be incorrectly interpreted at times.   Chris wants everyone to watch a video developed by the University of Washington on the Peelian Principles: http://police.uw.edu/faqs/the-peelian-principles/

Chris is a supporter of Restorative Justice and believes it should be an available option for law enforcement.   He comments briefly about the Defund the Police movement and how the unintended consequences have proven the movement untenable.   He knows addressing the perception and reality of public safety in the downtown area needs to be a priority to achieve a vibrant city.

Will Chris commit to running for another Municipal election??  We ask him.

Sound editing done by Todd Mason.

More about the Victoria City Police Union (VCPU):

- Tweet us at https://twitter.com/VicPD_Union

- Follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/vicpd_union/

- Find us on FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/truebluevictoria/

- Visit our website for information at https://truebluevic.ca/

- Email us at [email protected] for any media inquiries or requests to be on the True Blue Podcast

Season 1 of the True Blue Podcast is dedicated to the memory of Marisa Neilson, may she Rest in Peace.

The podcast team runs through the list of episodes and the list of topics to highlight our challenges, our successes and our goals for Season 2.

Opioid Crisis; Meth Crisis; Mental Health Crisis; police involved shootings; illegal protests;   defund the police movement; Crime Severity Index; assaults on Police; random attacks on citizens; treatment and care for young persons; the RCMP organize a Union; $20,000 recruiting bonus; public support of improving public safety and the police budget; Charlayne Thornton-Joe and Canada Day; atmospheric river; our favourite episodes; 2022 Municipal Elections.

Sound editing done by Todd Mason.

More about the Victoria City Police Union (VCPU):

- Tweet us at https://twitter.com/VicPD_Union

- Follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/vicpd_union/

- Find us on FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/truebluevictoria/

- Visit our website for information at https://truebluevic.ca/

- Email us at [email protected] for any media inquiries or requests to be on the True Blue Podcast