Retired Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice Simon MacDonald has been named vice-chair of the Nova Scotia Police Review Board.

Mr. MacDonald served as a Supreme Court justice for more than 30 years and brings a wealth of experience to his new role. Prior to becoming a judge, he practiced law in Cape Breton and Ontario and held many positions within the legal community and as a community volunteer.

The vice-chair position has been vacant since former vice-chair Judith McPhee was appointed as police complaints commissioner in October 2016.

In Nova Scotia, civilian oversight of police conduct is shared by the Serious Incident Response Team which investigates serious incidents that may result in criminal charges, and the Office of Police Complaints Commissioner which handles all other allegations of police misconduct.

The Office of Police Complaints Commissioner receives and monitors public complaints of police misconduct against municipal police officers. Public complaints against the police are initially investigated by the police. The decision of the police agency can be reviewed by the police complaints commissioner and referred to the Police Review Board for a further hearing.

Source: Release