Police chief unfit to lead department, union says

The union representing police officers in Victoria says the chief needs to be removed from his post over a breach of trust that affects all members.

Chief Frank Elsner issued a statement earlier this week saying he was sorry and humiliated for exchanging direct messages with the wife of an officer in the department on Twitter.

Acting union president Sgt. Glen Shiels said while the incident itself was on the low end of a breach, it undermines the trust of all his officers.

“When you’re contacting the spouse of a member, that’s a betrayal that most members are going to find hard to forgive,” he said Wednesday.

The member’s wife is reportedly a police officer in a neighbouring jurisdiction.

The Victoria and Esquimalt Police Board gave its full support for Elsner’s leadership after the findings of an investigation by an independent lawyer were presented to the board last week.

Shiels said the union didn’t see the report and didn’t know about the investigation until recently, which hampered its ability to support the officer involved.

“It’s alleged misconduct only on the part of the chief, but the affected member should be made privy to what the scope of the investigation was and what the outcome was,” Shiels said.

Elsner issued a statement Wednesday saying he was aware of a release the union sent to media and he will continue to serve citizens of the community.

The Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner said Monday it was reviewing the lawyer’s report and will determine whether to order a further investigation.

Shiels said officers with the VPD don’t believe the investigation process was transparent or thorough enough and want the commissioner to order an independent investigation.