A video clip that allegedly shows an Abbotsford police officer stuffing cash into his sock during a drug raid has spurred an investigation into potential misconduct.
The incident took place in November of last year, while the Abbotsford Police Department’s (APD) drug squad was executing a search warrant on a home.
The APD says officers found $46,000 in cash, weapons and drugs in the home. Drug trafficking charges were laid against Brian MacDonald, whose trial is underway this week.
During the trial, MacDonald’s defence played several video clips taken by a secret camera in the home, which appeared to show an APD officer alone in a room with the cash, and handling some of it in a suspicious manner.
Bird said police haven’t actually seen the full video, just the segments that were played in court, and are hoping to obtain it unedited.
However, she said even if the evidence shows the officer did not steal the money, he likely crossed a line.
“We expect our officers during raids, or during search warrants, to be professional. So things like practical jokes, or ill-fitting jokes for circumstances like that are inappropriate,” she said.
READ MORE: 17 Abbotsford Police officers under investigation for allegations of misconduct
The officer, who has not been named, has been placed on administrative duties and the RCMP has been called in to conduct an external investigation.
The Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner (OPCC) has also been notified.
In a statement, the Mayor Henry Braun, who heads the city’s police board, said he has been briefed on the matter by police Chief Bob Rich.
“It is important for the RCMP to continue their investigation process in order to bring this investigation to final resolution,” Braun said.
“As this is an ongoing criminal investigation with the RCMP, the Abbotsford Police Board will only consider response or action once the investigation process has been completed.”
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
WATCH: Abbotsford police officers under investigation for misconduct (Feb., 2015)
It’s not the first time an Abbotsford police officer has made headlines for allegations of misconduct.
APD officer Christopher Nicholson was handed a 17-month conditional sentence earlier this year for breach of trust. He had faced allegations of lying to judges to get search warrants, warning a drug dealer when police were coming and sending drugs to another dealer and then telling cops to get a warrant to bust them.
In February 2015, a further review of Nicholson’s case led to the OPCC opening an investigation into 148 allegations, including corrupt practice, deceit and neglect of duty, against Nicholson and 16 other officers.
The investigation into the majority of those allegations was dropped in February of last year due to a court ruling that blocked investigators from seeing evidence related to confidential informants.
-With files from Jill Bennett
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