Victoria Police Chief Jamie Graham has received a written reprimand after he left a loaded gun under the seat of his car while he was inside the station.
Detectives discovered the service pistol while conducting a search of police headquarters in an attempt to find a shotgun, tear gas canisters and other crowd control equipment that have mysteriously disappeared from the department. When they checked inside the chief's unmarked car, which was parked in a secure underground parking lot, they found the gun holstered under the driver's seat.
The chief says that he actually left the pistol in his car while he was holding a press conference to warn the public about the missing weapons.
"Just as I expect every member of this department to take full responsibility for their actions, I take responsibility for this incident and I accept the discipline authority's findings. The last thing I want is for this inadvertent mistake to cast a shadow over the hard work that the men and women of VicPD do every day," Graham said in a statement Wednesday.
Department policy stipulates that firearms must be stored unloaded in a locked drawer inside a locked locker while they are at headquarters.
Two deputy chiefs conducted an internal investigation and found that Graham had neglected his duty. As head of the Victoria Police Board, Mayor Dean Fortin issued the chief a written reprimand.
The Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner has also been advised of the situation.
Police are still searching for the missing equipment, which includes a 12-gauge Remington shotgun, pepper balls, tear gas canisters, anti-riot ammunition and tactical vests.
