True Blue Podcast

Send us Fan Mail

Two frontline police officers talk about knowing you're pregnant and when might be the best time to notify the employer to ensure a safe work environment for yourself and your child.  Both Chloe Staiger and Jaclyn Flaten share their experiences relating to the Collective Agreement benefits and some of the challenges others might face when becoming a mom on Patrol.

The Victoria City Police Union is committed to enhancing the Maternity/Paternity benefit package in the Collective Agreement and working with the employer to ensure VicPD is a preferred employer for those wanting to be parents.

Jaclyn reveals the name of her unborn daughter on this podcast, and we wish her all the best on her maternity leave.  Chloe is returning to frontline policing as this episode is launched and we wish her safe shifts.

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 

Send us Fan Mail

In Part 2 of this episode, Todd talks about the challenges of dealing with his Work Safe BC claim while managing his anxiety, depression and paranoia. 
Todd also says, “I want to de-stigmatize mental health injuries that we all get at work, we need to change the culture, if you’re struggling, you’re not alone, you need to reach out and talk to someone.”   
Todd's recovery and road back to work included an 8 week residential treatment program at the Homewood Ravensview facility.  He learned a number of skills and methods that will help him deal with his anxiety and paranoid thoughts in the future.  https://ravensview.com/
Lastly Todd goes into detail about the court process he participated in as a victim and the eventual sentence the offender was handed.

“It is impossible for police officers to maintain law and order unless they enjoy the support of the public and unless they are seen to have the solid backing of the courts when they are entitled to it.  It is absolutely essential that all members of the public understand that violence against police officers in the course of their duties will be severely sanctioned.” 

– Justice Eric F. Macklin

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 

Send us Fan Mail

Cst. Todd Mason talks about dealing with a challenging situation in his negotiator role only 2 weeks before being rundown by a stolen car on Pandora Ave on September 27,  2021.  Not only did he suffer physical injuries but the mental and emotional effects of both incidents were just as devastating.   Todd talks about the lack of support from Victoria City Council and other factors that contributed to a long and dark few months after the incident.  
Later in this episode, Todd goes into detail about what he remembers after being hit by the car and how he thought he was going to die.
Part 2 of Todd's interview will be out soon where he talks about the challenges of dealing with life after a severely traumatic incident and his residential treatment program at Homewood Ravensview.

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 

Send us Fan Mail

Meet 2 police officers riding in the 25th Anniversary Tour de Rock event.  The ride spans the length of Vancouver Island and takes place between 24 September and 7 October 2022. 

Constable Tristan Williams of VicPD and Retired Saanich Inspector Trent Edwards are two members of this year’s team.  Hear from them about what inspired them to participate in the event.

Cops for Cancer Tour de Rock is an exciting annual event where law enforcement and emergency services personnel raise money for childhood cancer research and support services at the Canadian Cancer Society. 

Please support Tristan and Trent at the attached links:
https://www.tourderock.ca/dt_team/tristan-williams/
https://www.tourderock.ca/dt_team/trent-edwards/

https://twitter.com/@TourdeRock
https://www.instagram.com/tourderock_/?hl=en
https://www.facebook.com/CopsTourdeRock

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 

Send us Fan Mail

The True Blue Podcast is proud to introduce Cst. Elle Hamilton, one of our two new recruits in Class #168 that will be training this Spring/Summer at the Police Academy.  Elle was born and raised in Victoria and she continues a legacy of Hamilton's in policing as both her parents were members of the Victoria City Police Union (VCPU).  She attended University in Tiffin, Ohio for 5 years on an athletic scholarship, playing Lacrosse for the Dragons!  She studied Forensic Psychology obtaining a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice and in her 5th year she completed a master's degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Leadership and Change.

Elle had some experience working as a student intern while in the US and even worked security at Cleveland Browns games.  She also worked as a Parking Ambassador for the City of Victoria during her summer breaks from school.   Before being hired at VicPD in a full-time role she also completed the Reserve Police Program in preparation for her Justice Institute training.

You can expect Elle to continue her connection with Lacrosse in Victoria by participating in coaching other young students. 

https://www.tiffin.edu/

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 

Send us Fan Mail

We are joined by Jason Whittaker, President of the Saanich Police Association and Len Hollingsworth, President of the Victoria City Police Union for a discussion on what took place in Saanich on 28 June 2022.   Both organizations are working together to support the 6 officers injured in this incident.  Emergency medical care and bravery were paramount on the day. 
Member wellness and recovery are what's down the road for the Saanich Police Association and the Victoria City Police Union; it will be a marathon as described so nicely by Jason Whittaker.
In a joint effort, the "Stronger Together" campaign on GoFundMe has been a rousing success and speaks to the community support for the officers and their families. 
The attached link is available for anyone wishing to make a donation to this worthy cause.  https://gofund.me/6b77df55

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 

Send us Fan Mail

Host Tom Stamatakis is passionate about Mental Health Wellness in Policing, and he was super thankful to interview Dr. Tim Black, Counselling Psychologist and Associate Professor at the University of Victoria.   Some of Dr. Black’s focus is on First Responder Trauma and he recently provided instruction to several VCPU members in Trauma and Resiliency Training (TRT).  Dr. Black’s program is a partnership with Wounded Warriors Canada. https://woundedwarriors.ca/our-programs/trauma-resiliency-training-trt/

Tim wants First Responders to understand what Trauma is, what PTSD is, how you get diagnosed and lastly how your employer/workplace treats people suffering from Trauma.  His goal of educating employers and staff to better know what to look for and how to respond to maximize the treatment response.  Stigmatization is always a huge barrier and the teaching model of Peer to Peer has proven effective to getting employees to take steps to get better rather than hiding their trauma. 

What is Trauma? Exposed to an event where there is actual or threatened death, actual or threatened serious violence or actual or threatened sexual violence.  “So much of policing is daily exposure to traumatic events” – Dr. Tim Black.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-black-32208310/

https://www.facebook.com/WoundedWarriorsCanada

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 

Send us Fan Mail

Dr. Mark Vu has been serving as the Medical Director with VicPD since 2016.   His expertise has been so important in developing programs and improving equipment at VicPD and ultimately has provided enhanced medical care and improved overall member safety.

Dr. Vu has been training all Patrol officers on basic medical care and also concentrates on making sure on duty police have access to advanced medical support while deployed at critical incidents.  He is an anesthesiologist at local hospitals and has been a massive asset at VicPD helping us navigate the COVID pandemic.

25:20 - Comments on the Fentanyl Crisis
40:30 - Dr. Bonnie Henry
41:45 - Todd thanks Dr. Vu for his efforts
46:45 - Dr. Vu suits up in a CS Gas training environment

https://twitter.com/drmarkvu
https://ca.linkedin.com/in/mark-vu-07679835

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 

Send us Fan Mail

We're joined by Sgt. Steve Kowan who was the VicPD 2022 representative for the Wounded Warrior Run that takes place on Vancouver Island in late February.  Steve and a number of his family members are police veterans, including his uncle, Sgt. Larry Young, who was killed in the line of duty while serving on the Emergency Response Team with Vancouver Police.  https://vpd.ca/about-the-vpd/history/in-memoriam/fallen-officers/#larry-young
Sgt. Daryl Baswick also joins us for this interview and was a participant in the run in 2020.

Steve talks about some of his memories from visiting small towns on Vancouver Island and some of the motivation he had for participating in the run.   Meeting other first responders and military veterans who suffer from trauma related injuries was inspiring for Steve.  PTSD is known as the silent injury that can have a devastating effect on family as well. 

https://woundedwarriors.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 

Send us Fan Mail

We're joined by Cst. Janis Carmena who continues to be off work with PTSD.  Janis talks about her incident that contributed to her not being able to continue to work on the road as a police officer.  Janis participated in the Tour de Rock Cancer ride in 2016 and discusses the emotional effort attached to that annual event that police have supported for so many years.  Janis wants other police officers to know what trauma support has worked for her.  She speaks highly of Wounded Warriors Canada and how it helped her go through the grieving process and understanding PTSD.

We share her blog website: www.onboardtangaroa.com

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