Officer on cell phone rear ends car

A senior Vancouver police officer who rear-ended a car while using his cell phone has been issued a ticket for distracted driving.

Deputy Chief Constable Warren Lemcke, head of the Vancouver Police Department’s investigation division, was making a "work-related call" January 4 when the traffic in front of him stopped abruptly.

Constable Lemcke was looking down at his phone and by the time he realized the car ahead of him wasn't moving, it was too late to avoid a collision, reports the Globe and Mail.

No one was seriously injured, and the car Cst. Lemcke struck was able to drive away. His cruiser, however, had to be towed.

Cst. Lemcke, who himself was previously a traffic officer, was ticketed for driving without due care and attention. In B.C., police, firefighters and paramedics can make work-related calls while driving, but only under exceptional circumstances.

(Globe and Mail)