An off-duty Edmonton cop charged with drinking and driving after a fiery late-night wreck in Edmonton will remain suspended from work while still receiving a paycheque.
“An officer can be suspended without pay, but it’s very seldom,” said police Chief Mike Boyd at a press conference at police headquarters yesterday.
“Under the circumstances, it would be inappropriate for me to suspend without pay.”
Boyd said that in his time as police chief, he’s suspended a few officers without pay after committing an offence. He said it’s a complicated process that requires approval and support from the police commission.
“It’s a subject not very well-understood by the public. The legislation within the Police Act is written to assist in protecting police officers from political influence,” he said.
“It’s not something a chief can do lightly, though I do understand the concerns the general public has with that.”
Brown, a three-year veteran of the Edmonton Police Service, is facing a long list of drinking and driving charges, after his BMW slammed into the side of a Ford pickup truck Saturday night, leaving four people injured.
-victoria.handysides@metronews.ca
