Policing North of the Border with Canadian Police Association President Tom Stamatakis
Episode #25 | 2 August 2022
The rule of law, policing and public service are key to a free society. Many of the issues we have been facing here in the United States are being felt by law enforcement around the world, including by our brothers and sisters in Canada.
On this episode of the Blue View, National FOP President Patrick Yoes sits down with Tom Stamatakis, President of the Canadian Police Association and Chairman of the International Council of Police Representative Associations, to discuss the CPA, cultural differences, challenges facing Canadian law enforcement, and the community engagement of police.
ICPRA was established to bring national police unions together to discuss police union issues, share information, and foster strong relationships between our national associations. Although we are from different countries, information sharing and networking benefit both our organizations through constructive dialogue, expertise, and shared experience.
About Tom Stamatakis
Mr. Stamatakis has sat on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Police Association (CPA) since 2003, and served as Vice-President of the organization since 2005 and acclaimed President for a second term in September 2014.
He also serves as President of both the Vancouver Police Union (VPU), as well as the British Columbia Police Association (BCPA).
Mr. Stamatakis has been a Constable with the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) for approximately 25 years, where he enjoyed a variety of assignments prior to his secondment to the VPU. He also sits on the boards of Covington Capital, “Odd Squad” Productions and a variety of provincial and federal policing working groups and committees.
You can follow Mr. Stamatakis on Twitter: @StamatakisCPA
About the Canadian Police Association (CPA)
The Canadian Police Association (CPA)is the national voice for 60,000 police personnel across Canada.
Membership includes police personnel serving in 160 police services across Canada, from Canada’s smallest towns and villages as well as those working in our largest municipal and provincial police services, and members of the railway police, and first nations’ police personnel.
For more information on the International Council of Police Representative Associations, visit www.cpa-acp.ca
About the International Council of Police Representative Associations (ICPRA)
The International Council of Police Representative Associations (ICPRA) was established in 1996 by the Canadian Police Association (CPA) and now has approximately 1.5 million members affiliated through national police associations and federations.
This international network of police unions was started when CPA extended invitations to police association executives from around the globe to meet in a formal setting as part of the CPA’s Annual General Meeting in Windsor, Ontario. As each of the delegates attending spoke about the issues and challenges they faced at the local level it soon became apparent that the bonds and common issues between police associations were much closer than the distances that separated them.
The National Fraternal Order of Police is proud to be a member organization in the ICPRA. National President Patrick Yoes serves on the ICPRA Executive Committee as Treasurer, and the FOP had the honor of hosting the delegation from ICPRA in 2012 in Baltimore, Maryland.
This international network of police unions was started by the Canadian Police Association (CPA) in 1996 and now has approximately 1.5 million members affiliated through national police associations and federations. ICPRA membership includes police unions from four continents, speaking over 30 languages.
ICPRA was established to bring national police unions together to discuss police union issues, share information and foster strong relationships between national associations. Since the first meeting in 1996, ICPRA meetings have been held biannually and are hosted by a participating country. Information sharing and networking continues between meetings, and from all accounts participants benefit from the dialogue, expertise and shared experience.
For more information on the International Council of Police Representative Associations, visit www.icpra.org
