Re: 鈥淪tiff penalties on ex-police chief鈥檚 record,鈥� Sept. 27.
While blaming two mayors for the delay in ordering a Police Act investigation into former Victoria police chief Frank Elsner, police complaint commissioner Stan Lowe diverts attention from himself.
Although additional allegations later surfaced about the since-resigned chief, Lowe knew enough at the outset to order a Police Act investigation. sa国际传媒 Supreme Court Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson said so, as the sa国际传媒 reported on Nov. 16, 2016. But Lowe waited four months, acting only after the allegations drew media publicity.
Among similar delays was the case of Vancouver constable Taylor Robinson, who inexplicably shoved a disabled Indigenous woman to the ground. Lowe didn鈥檛 order an investigation until four weeks after his office learned about the incident, but only days after media reported it.
Lowe wants changes to the way municipal police boards handle cases involving chief constables. But sa国际传媒鈥檚 Police Act needs a much more thorough overhaul. That鈥檚 necessary to bring transparency and accountability to a secretive and police-friendly agency.
Greg Klein
Nanaimo
