The Nova Scotia Police Review Board is allowing a case of alleged racial profiling to proceed after lawyers for two Halifax officers sought to have it ended on procedural grounds.
Adam LeRue, who is Black, has said race played a role in his arrest and jailing after he and his spouse pulled their vehicle into a park to make a cell phone call on Feb. 12, 2018.
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LeRue and his wife Kerry Morris attempted to bring their complaint before the three-person board in July.
The officers’ lawyers argued before the board that the hearing should be abandoned because the Halifax police department failed to comply with a regulatory deadline to submit its findings to the Nova Scotia Police Complaints Commissioner last year.
LeRue and Morris, as well as the municipality’s lawyer, replied it would be unfair to deny the couple a hearing when the police department itself was to blame for the delay.
The board’s written decision issued on Tuesday agrees with the couple, saying while timelines are important, ruling in favour of the officers would go against the goals of the Police Act.