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Former Victoria police chief investigation cost city nearly $1 million

Total price released after Frank Elsner found guilty of eight acts of misconduct
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Former Victoria police chief constable Frank Elsner. News file photo

New information released Friday show that former Victoria police chief Frank Elsner’s actions while on duty cost costpayers $1 million.

Elsner was the subject of lengthy diciplinary hearings following multiple investigations that lasted upwards of three years.

He quit as police chief in May 2017 after being suspended, and following a dispute over the handling of discoveries that he exchanged “salacious and sexually charged” Twitter messages with the wife of a subordinate officer.

The final total of legal services and expenditures reached $811,027, said a press release from the Victoria and Esquimalt Police Board.

“All of the costs listed have been paid over the last three years by Victoria and Esquimalt taxpayers. There are no outstanding bills to be paid,” Victoria mayor Lisa Helps said via email.

The breakdown includes $77,468 for the internal investigation, $224,757 for the investigation by the Vancouver Police Department and — the most expensive associated cost — $273,032 in legal services to the police board.

READ MORE: VicPD Chief responds to Elsner investigation report

Legal services for Frank Elsner cost $170,024.

The investigation, which stripped Frank Elsner of and found him guilty of eight counts of misconduct, began in August 2015.

During that time, Elsner was paid $269,661 while suspended from duty.

READ MORE: Discipline ruling upheld for ex-Victoria police chief Frank Elsner


@KeiliBarlett

keili.bartlett@blackpress.ca

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