The man who served as Victoria’s acting police chief after a Twitter controversy led to the suspension and eventual resignation of the former chief will step into the role full-time, it was announced Tuesday.
Del Manak has led the department since December 2015, when embattled chief Frank Elsner was suspended amid allegations of sexual harassment and for exchanging inappropriate messages with a subordinate officer’s wife.
Last month, the Victoria and Esquimalt Police Board announced Elsner had resigned and that it would be searching for a new chief.
They found their man in Manak, a 24-year veteran of the Victoria Police Department who was born and raised in the city.
It’s the first time since 1991 and only the second time in the last 60 years that a police chief has been promoted from within, according to the board.
“Acting Chief Manak has demonstrated unwavering leadership and established a strong community presence for the past year and a half through a number of challenging circumstances,” Lisa Helps, Lead Co-Chair of the Police Board, said in a statement.
“His customer service and community engagement philosophy has been embraced by our communities. The board has determined that he has what it takes to permanently lead as Chief Constable.”
The board said it didn’t hold an internal or external competition for the role, and instead reviewed Manak’s performance as acting chief so far to determine he was the right person for the job.
Manak called it an “honour” to be chosen to lead the force.
“Having been born and raised in Victoria, I know firsthand the long and proud history of VicPD’s service to its communities. I plan on building on this strong reputation through further engagement and collaboration,” he said.
Manak will officially assume the role of chief constable on July 1.
