Edmonton Police Watch

EDMONTON JOURNAL

An Edmonton police constable who left two strip-club waitresses unwatched in a lounge at police headquarters was found guilty Friday of insubordination and deceit.

On Feb. 20, 2005, Const. Sebastien Berube invited three women to meet him at the constables’ lounge. They came directly from working at the Crazy Horse. According to one woman’s testimony at an internal police disciplinary hearing, Berube had met her three times before.

Berube signed the women in at the front desk, but then left two of them alone with two other male friends in the lounge while he brought the third to a quiet room with couches. They were alone between 10 and 20 minutes.

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EDMONTON SUN

Under a cloud of deceit allegations, a city cop has retired from the force – but is now working for another publicly-funded body.

Bryan Boulanger – the inspector accused of making false or misleading statements during the Overtime affair – has been hired to oversee the Edmonton Transit System’s professional standards.

His new colleague, Ron Gabruck, said he had no doubts about the new hire.

“None whatsoever,” said Gabruck, Edmonton Transit’s director of safety and security. “He was eminently qualified. He had glowing references.”

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EDMONTON JOURNAL

EDMONTON – An Edmonton constable from the southeast division has been charged with assault after allegedly punching a man under arrest.

Police said on Sept. 5, two men under arrest were sitting in the back seat of a marked police car near 83rd Street and 91st Avenue.

Police said the accused officer, who was standing outside of the car while two other officers sat in the front of the car, grabbed one of the men under arrest, pulled him into the bars of an open back side-door window, and struck him with a closed fist. The man suffered minor injuries.

Police received a internally generated complaint about the incident Sept. 8.

Steven Zielie, 36, has been charged with one count of assault and is expected to make his first court appearance Oct. 30.

EDMONTON JOURNAL

A senior Edmonton police officer abused his power when he targeted a journalist who published a column critical of city police, an oversight body has ruled.

In the first independent review of the controversial Overtime incident, Alberta’s Law Enforcement Review Board ruled Staff Sgt. Bill Newton passed unfounded “rumours” about the reporter’s drinking and driving to his traffic squad because he was “frustrated” by the columnist’s writing.

In a decision released Thursday, board chairman John Phillips found Newton asked the officers to watch for Edmonton Sun columnist Kerry Diotte “for reasons other than law enforcement.”

“The demonstrated focus without any legal justification is not acceptable,” Phillips wrote. “Mr. Diotte had the right, without fear of police reprisal, to freedom of speech, which includes the freedom to write critical articles about policing in his community.”

Newton now faces a 10-hour suspension without pay.

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