A previous version of this story incorrectly reported that the Victoria Police Board will be investigated over the potential misuse of money in the Elsner probe. We apologize for the error.
The B.C. Director of Police Services has been asked to review the actions of the Victoria Police Board regarding its spending during the investigation into former police chief Frank Elsner.
Former VicPD Staff Sergeant Darren Laur filed a complaint with the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner in 2016 alleging the chairs of the police board used money from the Victoria Police operational budget to pay for Elsner’s lawyers as well as a media crisis consultant to publicly deal with the investigation without getting council approval.
Laur says the actions are in breach of section 27(6) for the Police Act, which states: unless the council otherwise approves, a municipal police board must not make an expenditure, or enter an agreement to make an expenditure, that is not specified in the board’s budget and approved by the council.
According to the former staff sergeant, the act ensures that police boards don’t spend public money inappropriately.
The Police Complaints Commissioner has requested a special investigation be conducted into the board’s actions as alleged by Laur.
Elsner was suspended with pay from his role for more than a year as he faced misconduct allegations originally stemming from his 2015 admission that he sent inappropriate Twitter DMs to the wife of a subordinate officer.
Earlier this month he stepped down from his job and immediately stopped receiving his pay and employment benefits.
Victoria Mayor and Co-Chair of the Victoria and Esquimalt Police Board, Lisa Helps, said the board would meet to determine its next steps to appoint a new police chief for the department.
