Recently, reports came out about a New Westminster police officer who was issued an Immediate Roadside Prohibition — an administrative penalty under British Columbia’s Motor Vehicle Act — for drinking and driving.
Although the officer was off duty at the time she received the prohibition, an investigation was launched under the Police Act, the legislation that governs discipline of police officers in British Columbia. Ultimately, the officer was found guilty of “discreditable conduct.”
Where this case gets very interesting is in how the police officer was penalized. The recommendation from the New Westminster Chief Constable was that she be issued a written reprimand and a pre-hearing conference, which would essentially amount to a warning not to do it again. The Police Complaints Commissioner rejected that decision and referred the matter to an outside police organization, the Vancouver Police Department.
The Vancouver Police Department Superintendent increased the penalty, recommending a one-day suspension without pay.
But this still was not enough for the Police Complaint Commissioner, who found that despite the officer’s impeccable service record and the fact that her duties did not involve traditional policing activities, she nevertheless ought to have been given a more significant penalty. The matter was then referred to adjudication, to be conducted by a retired Provincial Court judge, to determine what the appropriate penalty should be.
Read the rest of the column here.