1327 replies to this topic

[sebberry]

The fact that he (supposedly) quickly got to a point where he shut down the conversation suggests to me that it probably started out fairly innocent, and then when things got... er.. flirtatious? he realized the problem and backed off. 

 

Do we need to go through yet another police chief over something like this?

[todd]

I would have to see the tweets before coming to a conclusion.A pretty boring story without them.

 

Wish they would or could release the tweet, my mind is swirling with possibilities of what exactly was said, guess it wasn't even necessarily sexual.

[todd]

Sebberry, you are mixing up wrongdoing with inappropriate relationship.

And todd, it does not matter if it was mutual. It's terrible conduct in a workplace, especially a police department when morale among the ranks is terribly important.

Of all the people that Elsner could chose to send sexts to, why the wife of your employee. So so wrong.

 

She is also a police officer in a neighboring department it's possible they knew each other independently from the husband.

 

If they were having an affair that would be "terrible conduct in a workplace" and bad judgment but is it illegal, against his contract or station policies?

[North Shore]

The fact that he (supposedly) quickly got to a point where he shut down the conversation suggests to me that it probably started out fairly innocent, and then when things got... er.. flirtatious? he realized the problem and backed off. 
 
Do we need to go through yet another police chief over something like this?

I'm with Seb.. on this. Its pretty easy to put an unintended double-entendre in a text...

It would clear the air a little if the transcript of the exchange was released, though.

[Mike K.]

I thought she worked at the station but was not a cop?

[SamCB]

With so little detail made public it makes you wonder, was the exchange more benign than we imagine, or worse than we imagine? There are no real hints except the outcome of the investigation, which means little.

It's not hard to imagine he was having an affair with his officer's wife, and the twitter messages (the paper trail) were discovered and found to be slightly inappropriate, but not incriminating.

Also not hard to imagine a benign conversation where an off-colour meme or joke or suggestive comment was made, and that's the extent of it.

Either scenario could lead to the outcome of the investigation we have here.

Edited by SamCB, 06 December 2015 - 04:42 PM.

[Mike K.]

What I can say is Chief Elsner has a very cordial, whimsy persona online. I quite enjoy his tweets, actually. It could have easily been a case of mistaken intentions or a statement taken the wrong way, from either side. We all know that sometimes what we say on VV gets taken the wrong way.

[Bingo]

Look, he either had a relationship with his subordinate's wife, or he came close, exchanging some type of sexual messages, in text form.

 

 

By now all text messages have been quadruple deleted and the phones have been thrown overboard in Active Pass

[VicHockeyFan]

Look, for it to spark an investigation it required a compliant, as the tweets were private.  So it was serious enough to spark an investigation.  I think it's pretty clear some type of discipline was meted out here, as a result of the investigation.

[SamCB]

There have to be at least a handful of people in this small town who know exactly what happened. Hell, the whole VicPD squad probably knows the gist of what occurred. All we need is one brave informant or whistleblower. That would really make this conversation juicy.

[Mike K.]

^^Sure, but that doesn't mean the complaint wasn't frivolous.

[todd]

I thought she worked at the station but was not a cop?

 

 

 

Times Colonist          December 6, 2015 11:49 AM

..........

.......Elsner explained he exchanged Twitter direct messages on his personal account, linked to his personal email, with the wife of one of his Victoria police officers. She is also a police officer, working for a neighbouring police department. .......

.........

http://www.timescolo...h.vKk8h5Xr.dpuf

[VicHockeyFan]

^^Sure, but that doesn't mean the complaint wasn't frivolous.

 

No, but he's embarrassed about it, he won't comment on whether he was disciplined.  Sounds to me like there is some substance to this.

[todd]

According to the TC & Van Sun this is what we apparently know: three messages were apparently sent and according to Elsner the last one: "Listen, please stop, this cannot continue or go any further." Elsner did not say whether or not a photo was involved(that usually means there was)

 

We know it was apparently inappropriate whatever was sent.

 

Elsner said: “It wasn’t a friendship,”

 

Elsner said: "It was strictly work and the messages just took on a far more personal tone"

 

Elsner said: He stopped the messages first.

 

Elsner said: “When this first broke he and I(the husband) spoke and he said he believed that no relationship took place,” “There was none.” 

 

We don't know who started the messages.

 

An investigation was completed and last week found that there was no inappropriate relationship. 

 

 

 

http://www.vancouver...9725/story.html

 

http://www.timescolo...sages-1.2127143

[todd]

Does the female police officer in a neighboring jurisdiction not deserve equal scrutiny if it was mutual? Or is it just because the husband works for VicPD? Or is it just because he's the chief?

[VicHockeyFan]

The TC story has been updated considerably since it first ran today.

 

http://www.timescolo...sages-1.2127143

[VicHockeyFan]

Does the female police officer in a neighboring jurisdiction not deserve equal scrutiny if it was mutual? Or is it just because the husband works for VicPD? Or is it just because he's the chief?

 

It's because he is the woman's husband's boss.  That's the issue.

[todd]

 

 

TP              DECEMBER 6, 2015 5:55 PM

 

Victoria police chief's email to staff: http://www.theprovin...0157/story.html

[LJ]

^Did he make the spelling mistake in the e-mail?  Or was a Freudian slip?

 

Maybe that is how the whole "affair" started....he made a spelling mistake in a tweet and she responded.

[Mike K.]

Here is Chief Elsner's email to staff:

 

To all sworn and professional support staff:

 

There have been a number of rumours circulating over the past few days. I would like to take this opportunity to put them to rest.

 

In September of this year an internal investigation was initiated by the Police Board into whether I had had an inappropriate relationship. An independent outside law firm was retained to do the investigation. On Friday of last week I received notification of the investigation's conclusion. The investigation found some private, direct messages in my Twitter account, but, there was no inappropriate relationship. However, I should not have engaged in those messages in the first place.

 

I take full responsibility for my actions. I am better than that and I sincerely apologize to anyone who may have been affected by my laps in judgment. After reviewing the entire report and knowing all the facts, the Victoria and Esquimalt Police Board has given me their full support and confidence to continue as your Chief Constable.

 

I learned many things during this investigation about how I will conduct myself in the future. I have also learned how much of a toll these lengthy, process-driven investigations take on all the people affected by them. As your Chief, I pledge to make the changes necessary in our process to be far more humane in our approach.

 

Our collective concern must now be on healing and moving forward together as a department.