Victoria’s police union says it has lost confidence in Frank Elsner’s ability to lead the force after the police chief admitted to sending inappropriate messages to the wife of a subordinate officer on Twitter.
The Victoria City Police Union, which represents all frontline officers in the city, issued a statement Wednesday directed at the Victoria and Esquimalt police board as well as both city halls.
“The Victoria City Police Union has no confidence in the way in which the Police Board and its Chairs handled the incident involving Chief Elsner’s inappropriate conduct,” it reads. “Based on the actions and conduct of Chief Elsner, which the Police Board found to be improper, the Victoria City Police Union has no confidence in his ability to lead the Victoria Police Department.”
The VCPU reiterated calls for the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner to order an independent investigation into the incident and the police board’s handling of it.
“The BC Police Act should be applied equally to all members of the Victoria Police Department; regardless of rank,” it says.
Later Wednesday, acting president Glen Shiels said the union has fielded concerns about the chief's conduct from other members, and will be following up on those before deciding how to proceed.
Elsner responded with his own statement, saying he was aware of the release issued by the union and had no plans to step down.
“My priority as Chief Constable is to continue serving the citizens of Victoria and Esquimalt with the first-rate policing service that they expect and deserve,” he said. “This is a challenging time for our sworn membership, our professional support staff, and the department as a whole but I have confidence that we will continue serving the public with the professionalism for which VicPD is known.”
Elsner, who has held the position of chief since Jan. 2014, reiterated he has the “full confidence and support” of the police board.
The OPCC has confirmed it will review the board's internal investigation into the chief’s actions.
He had apologized Sunday following an internal investigation that found he used direct messaging and Twitter inappropriately.
“I feel terrible…I shut this down when it occurred because I knew it was getting to a place where I was not prepared to go,” he said at the time. “At that point I informed my wife.”
The Victoria and Esquimalt police board said on Sunday it still had “full confidence in the chief’s ability.”
Read the VCPU's full statement below:
