
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 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.”