SiRT finds no grounds to charge Fredericton police officer with breach of trust
The director of the Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT) has found no reasonable grounds to believe a member of the Fredericton Police Force was involved in a possible breach of trust.
During a drug investigation in 2023, Fredericton police executed a search warrant at a residence of an adult male who was known to police. Police seized four cellphones as part of the search.
One of the seized phones was reviewed in May 2024 and photographs of an officer's personal computer were found on it.
'The photos contained sensitive and privileged police information,' a news release from SiRT said.
Metadata confirmed the photos of the computer were taken at the residence where the search warrant was executed, leading investigators to conclude the officer's computer had ended up inside the home.
SiRT says management with the Fredericton Police Force questioned the officer about how the computer had ended up at the home of the accused. He told them he had once purchased an older model Apple computer and may have accessed work emails on it. His wife later confirmed she had thrown out the old Apple computer in August 2023. She said she didn't think the computer worked and hadn't been used in years so she didn't bother to erase the hard drive.
Fredericton police referred the matter to SiRT in June 2024 and it launched an investigation.
SiRT determined someone had found the computer in a dumpster and later gave it to the accused to pay off a debt they owed. It found the officer didn't give the computer to the accused and didn't know the accused had it in his possession.
While the police watchdog believes the officer acted carelessly, it doesn't believe the officer's actions were criminal, so he won't be charged with breach of trust.
SiRT also noted it was not able to locate the computer in question to extract additional evidence.
The SiRT released a full summary of the investigation.
For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
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