Jury at the coroner’s inquiry into the death of Vancouver Police Const. Nicole Chan concluded deliberations Wednesday afternoon.
A committee of three women and two men was tasked with finding practical, achievable and reasonable recommendations to prevent similar deaths from occurring in the future.
Their job was not to find fault.
jury Submitted a dozen recommendations, three of which were directed to Vancouver General Hospital and eight to Vancouver Police Department and its Chief Police Department. Adam Palmer, and one directed at the Minister of Health.
Recommendations to the VPD included incorporating a mandatory clinical psychology interview into the recruitment process.
The jury should also require an annual check-in with a psychologist for all police officers, not just those in specialized units, and ensure that all employees with mental health issues We also recommended that you should assign a representative for peer support cases.
The inquest heard that Chan had accused Sergeant. Dave Van Patten said he was afraid and frustrated that he forced her to have sex with him and that her claims were not taken seriously.
Chan’s mental health was a key focus of the week-and-a-half-long inquest, which included testimony from 34 witnesses.
On January 26, 2019, Chan’s boyfriend became concerned about Chan’s health and took her to Vancouver General Hospital.
She was released a few hours later, went home and killed herself.
During the inquest, the psychiatrist who evaluated Chan that night said she was first evaluated by a social worker and was “quite calm” by the time he spoke to her.
“She was able to justify her actions and explain them to me,” Dr. Kiran Sayapraju said on Friday, adding that her response indicated that she was not in imminent danger to herself or others. He added that he came to believe.
Thanks to Sayyaparaju’s testimony, the jury recommended that the hospital give access to historical information on all patients treated by its doctors.
They also recommended that hospitals allow attending physicians to have direct contact with people accompanying patients to the hospital, including paramedics, police officers, friends and family members.
The final recommendation for hospitals was to ensure that primary care physicians were available for calls from local health care providers.
The jury asked the VPD to ensure that police respectful workplace training was “mandatory, rigorous, face-to-face, and regular” and that the department’s respectful workplace The policy recommended recognizing rumors and gossip as examples of unprofessional behavior.
The remaining three recommendations to VPD dealt with the training and responsibilities of personnel and management officers.
Jurors should ensure promotion-specific training is included in administration and management training, that HR officers receive training specific to HR operations, and that VPD HR employees are interdependent rather than independent. I recommend working with
Regarding this last recommendation, the jury noted that the department’s witnesses were unable to satisfactorily answer questions regarding Chan’s employment.
A jury spokesperson said, “When each witness was asked if he had information about Nicole’s case and recruitment, all witnesses turned to another individual in that section.”
In a statement Wednesday afternoon, Palmer expressed his “continued heartfelt condolences” to Chan’s family and friends, adding that the VPD “will take time to consider the jury’s recommendations.”
“Her life and career were tragically cut short, but Nicole’s death highlights the importance of our conversation about mental health and accountability in the police force.”
“These conversations never end… We are committed to ensuring that Nicole’s death continues to lead to positive change within the police force and for all who struggle with mental health. continue.”
Finally, the jury recommended that the Health Minister consider maintaining a database of people who have described suicidal thoughts to medical professionals. This will make it easier for health authorities to share the information they need to care for patients.
Jury nominations are not binding and the organization receiving the nomination will be asked to respond to any hearing it deems appropriate.
CTV News Vancouver with St. John Alexander and Shannon Patterson files
