Shows
True Blue PodcastIntroducing the New Chief Constable - Fiona WilsonThe VCPU is pleased to add this episode to the Greater Victoria Area Chiefs Series and introduce the first ever female Chief Constable for the Victoria Police Department, Fiona Wilson! Host, Tom Stamatakis helps us all to get to know Chief Wilson a little bit better.Chief Wilson talks about the Esquimalt & Victoria “framework agreement” and how in her view it isn’t working well, specifically for the needs of either community or the police department. Tom and Fiona talk about her life before policing and then her progression through the ranks at the Vancouver Police Department. Chief Wil...
2025-10-1056 min
True Blue PodcastPolice Oversight - Rollie Woods, Retired Deputy Commissioner BC OPCCRollie Woods joins Tom Stamatakis in this episode to talk about Police Oversight in British Columbia. Rollie is a former Deputy Commissioner at the BC Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner (OPPC). He has 35 years of policing experience, 10 years experience on the Executive of the Vancouver Police Union (VPU) and as President of the Senior Officer's Association before moving to work in Police Professional Standards at Vancouver Police and ultimately at the OPCC.Rollie and Tom agree that Police Oversight has an important role to play in ensuring there are professional and accountable police officers working in BC...
2024-06-151h 26
True Blue PodcastBeyond The Blue - Vancouver Island ChapterErin Toplak, President of the Vancouver Island Chapter of "Beyond The Blue" joins VCPU Director and host Tom Stamatakis on this episode. Tom and Erin are life partners and share some of their own struggles of being a partner to a police officer.VI Beyond The Blue (BTB) is a non-profit organization that provides peer support to the families and spouses of police officers. BTB wants to create a safe and comfortable place for family members to reach out to and find support. Erin reminds everyone that a specific incident doesn't need to happen before you reach out...
2024-02-1529 minTrue Blue Podcast1 Year Later Series from Bank Robbery and Shooting - VCPU Director Tom Stamatakis**Trigger Warning**This episode discusses the topic of a bank robbery and shooting where 2 people died and multiple others were seriously injured, some of the content may be distressing to the listener. This series of episodes was created with the objective that talking about the subject could in part provide the listener with more information about the event from many different perspectives. It could also provide the police officers, their families and others that were involved with an avenue to come forward and talk about their experiences and to encourage others suffering from mental or em...
2023-07-3129 minTrue Blue PodcastPandora's Box - Cst. Mark JenkinsVCPU Director Tom Stamatakis hosts this episode with repeat guest Cst. Mark Jenkins who serves as a "Community Resource Officer" in downtown Victoria. Mark's perspective comes from his expansive frontline experience and excellent insight into the issues the public sees and hears about. The host, Tom Stamatakis also relates his experiences after working an overtime shift in the Pandora Avenue area and how much worse things have become since he last worked on the road. Tom and Mark go into depth about Mark's recent trip to New York City which hosted a "homeless study" for police and other ser...
2023-06-3045 min
True Blue PodcastTrauma Resiliency Training - Dr. Tim BlackHost 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 suffer...
2022-06-3032 minTrue Blue PodcastVCPU Director at Large - Tom StamatakisMeet 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 edit...
2022-02-2544 min