He was chosen for the job over a field of competitors for that included Larry Campbell, who became Graham’s boss as Vancouver’s mayor, and eventually a Canadian senator.
The Governor General, the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, appointed Graham a member of the Order of St. John on December 15, 2006.
The Georgia Straight newspaper has criticized Graham for being too entrenched in traditional police culture to effectively respond to problems of misconduct.
"[7] Mayor Sam Sullivan dismissed the non-cooperation complaint in May 2007, stating partly that there was no practical way to discipline a retiring police chief.
[8] In his report, Cessford wrote that "Chief Graham did not fully exercise his authority in ensuring that his members cooperated [with the RCMP] as required."
"[9] The Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner reviewed and accepted the report's finding of discreditable conduct,[10] but did not see anything to warrant a public inquiry into the matter.
[11] During the 2005 municipal elections, Graham had Sam Sullivan, then a candidate for mayor, investigated for his admission that he had given money to addicts to buy drugs and allowed one to smoke crack in his van.
Noting that "our organization's [the VPD] primary responsibilities are safety and public order", Graham has supported any project that falls within the laws of Canada.
[13] In April 2006, RCMP investigators exonerated Graham from allegations of misappropriating funds related to a 2004 police conference.
In July 2006, Graham left a bullet-riddled shooting range target on the desk of city manager Judy Rogers.
[3] In January 2012, the Honourable Jakob S. de Villiers rendered final judgement of misconduct against Graham for comments made to media surrounding protest events during the 2010 Olympics.