Video appears to show officer putting cash in sock as 'practical joke'

An Abbotsford, B.C. police officer said he was just playing a joke when he was caught on camera putting cash in his sock, but his actions could potentially jeopardize a trafficking case.

The incident occurred as officers conducted a search warrant at a local home as part of an investigation last fall.

Police said they found drugs, paraphernalia, weapons and cash in the search, but security cameras inside the home captured something else was well.

The footage appears to show an officer taking some of the bills police seized in the investigation, something the officer has not denied.

"The officer has testified this week that, in fact, he did take money. He put it in his sock," Abbotsford Police Sgt. Judy Bird said last Friday. 

"He advises that he was in the middle of doing a practical joke. He also advised under testimony that he did not steal the money and he left it at the residence."

Criminal defence lawyer Ken Beatch said he's urging the court reject the explanation for the officer's behaviour.

"In 30 years, I've never seen this," he said Tuesday.

Beatch's client Brian MacDonald was charged with eight counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking. The prosecution alleges the drugs included meth and pink fentanyl.

But Beatch is asking for a stay of proceedings based on what was captured on video.

"What we say is that it's an abuse of the court's process and the court must distance itself from that type of action," he said.

The officer has not been publicly identified as he is not facing charges, but he has been taken off operational duty and the Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner has been informed.

"We expect our officers to maintain a high level of professionalism throughout all investigations, warrants, that sort of thing, so our concern is that a practical joke is inappropriate," Bird said.

Abbotsford police have asked the RCMP to carry out a conduct investigation to determine if any criminal activity occurred. Bird noted last week that the video shown in court was edited, and that she was hopeful investigators would have access to all the footage.

It is not clear exactly when the judge could decide whether the security camera footage could impact MacDonald's case.

With a report from CTV Vancouver's Maria Weisgarber

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  Video appears to show a member of the Abbotsford Police Department putting cash in his sock, something the officer said was meant as a practical joke.