Victoria cop David Bratzer targets war on drugs with school board candidacy

By Carlito Pablo, Georgia Straight

A Victoria police officer who believes that the war on drugs is a bad trip is taking a break from his duties as a cop.

David Bratzer is stepping out of uniform for a while because he’s running for a seat on the school board of Greater Victoria.

A member of the international group Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, Bratzer launched his election campaign on September 15.

His campaign theme: “Schools Not Prisons.”

Bratzer’s news release reads in part:

David Bratzer has served Esquimalt and Victoria as a police officer for the past six years. In 2006, he graduated as class valedictorian and top academic student from the Police Academy at the Justice Institute of BC. In 2008, he became one of the first serving officers in North America to call for an end to the failed War on Drugs. In 2009 and 2010, he testified against “tough on crime” bills in Ottawa before the Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs.

The campaign will highlight opportunities to improve public education for all students while reducing their risk of contact with the criminal justice system. For example, he is scheduled to make a brief presentation at the next school board meeting regarding the district policy on Substance Abuse. The policy has not been updated for nineteen years and during this time enormous progress has been made in the field of evidence-based drug education. This public meeting is scheduled for September 19th at 7:30pm in the Tolmie Board Room at 556 Boleskine Road.