An officer in charge of professional standards at the West Vancouver Police Department will conduct an investigation into an altercation between a West Van officer and a group of longboarders under the oversight of the Office of Police Complaints Commissioner.
The investigation will look into an April 9 incident in which a West Vancouver patrol officer allegedly drove into an oncoming traffic lane to stop a group of longboarders who were coming downhill illegally in the British Properties.
The longboarders captured the incident on Finch Hill Road with a helmet-mounted camera and posted it online. Video shows the riders swerving off the road to avoid the unmarked police vehicle. After the longboarders posted it online, the video racked up more than 350,000 views within days.
Both the West Vancouver Police Department and the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner have reviewed the longboarders' video, as well as additional video, which captured the incident from inside the officer's patrol car.
One of the longboarders has since filed a complaint about the officer's conduct. The department has six months to complete its investigation and submit a report to the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner. Rollie Woods, deputy police complaint commissioner, said he expects the results will be made public. "We did receive a fair amount of comment," he said about the incident. The officer involved remains on active duty with the department.
