VICTORIA – Another investigation has been launched into the actions of Victoria’s police chief amid new allegations that he attempted to influence witnesses and may have deleted information needed for investigations into his conduct.
Police complaint commissioner Stan Lowe says he ordered a new probe into the actions of Frank Elsner after an investigation team uncovered allegations, that if substantiated, would constitute breaches of public trust.
Two retired B.C. judges began separate investigations last December amid allegations that Elsner sent inappropriate Twitter messages to the wife of one of his officers.
Elsner, who stepped aside in December, filed court documents last month in an effort to block the investigations saying the commissioner didn’t have the authority to order another review after the completion of an internal probe.
The documents say allegations surfaced last year that Elsner may have been in a relationship with the wife of a fellow officer and that the woman was also an officer in a neighbouring district.
Lowe says the latest allegations arise from recent interviews of witnesses as well as from information obtained from the Victoria Police Department’s technology systems.
