Nelson police officers to be disciplined over racist messages on WhatsApp chat group

The B.C. Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner will discipline several Nelson Police Department officers who were part of a social media chat group that hosted racist messages and memes between 2018 and 2020.

According to the Nelson Police Department, the OPCC’s discipline committee meeting will take place over the next few weeks.

The case against eight current and former Nelson police officers was brought to the attention of NPD Chief Constable Donovan Fisher in early 2022, with a report the group was using a WhatsApp chat group to share racist content.

In July, the OPCC announced the Vancouver Police Department had been commissioned to investigate the allegations.

On Feb. 9, the VPD gave its final investigative report to the OPCC for review and a decision.