Supporting Accountability in Policing

In the summer of 2026 Pivot Legal Society piloted a new Legal Observer program as a response to Vancouver being one of the host cities for FIFA World Cup. According to the City and VPD, Vancouver experienced one of the largest deployment of cops, including transit police, RCMP, and external agencies, in addition to increased bylaw and private security presence.

Through the pilot, Pivot built up a roster of 56 Legal Observers, who were deployed primarily throughout the DTES in addition to specific activated parts of the city, where they documented police enforcement actions, specifically on game days, but also for community led events who requested Legal Observer presence.

Role of a Legal Observer

Legal Observers were trained volunteers who monitored and documented activities of law enforcement, while they maintained a neutral presence. Legal Observers donned in their bright pink hats with “Legal Observer” written on the front and Pivot logo on the back, made themselves intentionally visible, while creating records of police actions. This allowed them to show police that their actions were being recorded. In various debriefings, Pivot heard from community members that police behaved differently in the presence of LOs.

Future of Legal Observer Program

We want to extend our deepest gratitude to all of our Legal Observer volunteers and supporters who made this pilot a success. Their feedback has been beyond valuable, and will inevitably shape the future of Pivot’s Legal Observer Program. We encourage those who would like to see the Legal Observer Program grow and become permanent to sign up to be kept in the loop about the future of the program.

Click here to sign up and show your support for the Legal Observer Program.