Public hearing ordered of alleged racist posts among Nelson police officers
For three years, the Nelson Police Department has been at the centre of an investigation into alleged racist posts in a private WhatsApp chat.
Now, the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner has ordered three current and three retired officers from the department to take part in a public hearing.
We first reported the allegations in 2022, when eight officers were initially under investigation, which was conducted by the Vancouver Police Department.
It resulted in two officers being cleared of wrongdoing. Six were found to have committed discreditable conduct.
1:14
Nearly half the officers at the Nelson Police Department are under investigation
In ordering the hearing, complaint commissioner Prahbu Rajan said, 'There needs to be clarity for the officers involved in this case, and for policing more generally, about whether group chats between police officers are protected and when they bring discredit to their police department or undermine a respectful workplace culture.'
Story continues below advertisement
Professor Arthur Schafer, founding director for the Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics at the University of Manitoba commented about the case, saying, 'It's important because when police officers have a racist or sexist attitudes, when they're prejudiced, when they're bigoted, those attitudes are likely to leak into their conduct as police officers and to prejudice their ability to act professionally.'
1:41
Nelson police officers facing discipline following report on racist messages
The case faced delays due to a constitutional challenge, with some officers arguing their rights were contravened when their chat logs were obtained.
Get daily National news
Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
Schafer said that when the adjudication of the case is finished, it will be an occasion for reflection, 'to think about how we recruit new members of the police force, how we train them, what attitudes and values we inculcate as they're learning how to become police officers.'
Dates for the public hearing are still to be determined. It will be overseen by retired judge Brent Hoy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Global News
15 hours ago
- Global News
Public hearing ordered of alleged racist posts among Nelson police officers
For three years, the Nelson Police Department has been at the centre of an investigation into alleged racist posts in a private WhatsApp chat. Now, the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner has ordered three current and three retired officers from the department to take part in a public hearing. We first reported the allegations in 2022, when eight officers were initially under investigation, which was conducted by the Vancouver Police Department. It resulted in two officers being cleared of wrongdoing. Six were found to have committed discreditable conduct. 1:14 Nearly half the officers at the Nelson Police Department are under investigation In ordering the hearing, complaint commissioner Prahbu Rajan said, 'There needs to be clarity for the officers involved in this case, and for policing more generally, about whether group chats between police officers are protected and when they bring discredit to their police department or undermine a respectful workplace culture.' Story continues below advertisement Professor Arthur Schafer, founding director for the Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics at the University of Manitoba commented about the case, saying, 'It's important because when police officers have a racist or sexist attitudes, when they're prejudiced, when they're bigoted, those attitudes are likely to leak into their conduct as police officers and to prejudice their ability to act professionally.' 1:41 Nelson police officers facing discipline following report on racist messages The case faced delays due to a constitutional challenge, with some officers arguing their rights were contravened when their chat logs were obtained. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Schafer said that when the adjudication of the case is finished, it will be an occasion for reflection, 'to think about how we recruit new members of the police force, how we train them, what attitudes and values we inculcate as they're learning how to become police officers.' Dates for the public hearing are still to be determined. It will be overseen by retired judge Brent Hoy.
Global News
a day ago
- Global News
Man shot and killed in Surrey, prompting homicide investigation
See more sharing options Send this page to someone via email Share this item on Twitter Share this item via WhatsApp Share this item on Facebook Surrey, B.C., police are investigating after a man was shot and killed in North Surrey on Thursday evening. Police received reports of a shooting on 129th Street near 108 Avenue around 7:40 p.m. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Officers found a man with life-threatening injuries and despite life-saving efforts, he died at the scene. His identity is not being released at this time. Police said that while the motive is still under investigation, it does not appear to be random. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team has now taken over the case, which is Surrey's fourth homicide of the year. More to come.
CBC
a day ago
- CBC
B.C. police watchdog calls hearing into officers' 'racist, sexist' WhatsApp group
British Columbia's police complaint commissioner says he's called a public hearing to probe misconduct allegations against three current and three former Nelson, B.C., police officers over alleged racist, sexist and inappropriate comments made in a private WhatsApp chat group. Prabhu Rajan says the allegations "go to the heart of public trust in policing" and the public hearing will also delve into a constitutional challenge filed in court last year by five of the subject officers. A notice of public hearing from Rajan's office says the court case hasn't moved forward since it was filed in August 2024, and a retired judge appointed as an adjudicator will have the power under B.C.'s Police Act "to decide all necessary questions of fact and law ... including constitutional challenges." The notice says the alleged misconduct dates back to March 2019, when the officers were members of a group chat where they shared "racist, sexist, or other discriminatory or inappropriate content." It says a police discipline authority in February 2023 found that the officers "appeared to have committed discreditable conduct" by participating in the group chat, but Rajan says the case hasn't been resolved due to delays related to the legal challenge. The notice says no dates for the public hearing have been set, but it "will start on the earliest practicable date." "Important issues are at stake in this case," the notice says. "Indeed, increasing attention is being paid across Canada and elsewhere to whether police or other professionals commit misconduct if they post or engage with discriminatory or otherwise inappropriate content in chat groups they consider to be private."
