Edmonton Police Watch

An Edmonton police constable was suspended without pay for 35 hours for unnecessarily Tasering a man struggling with two other officers.

“He, in essence, created the misfortune for himself,” Supt. Mark Logar said of Const. Andrew Hoglund. “Nothing in the evidence suggests Const. Hoglund asked if help was needed,” said Logar, who oversaw the hearing.

“Const. Hoglund cannot justify his actions. The constable breezes in, applies the Taser, and disappears. This type of application of the Taser does not speak highly of the service.”

University student Robert Boik was leaving the Globe Bar and Grill at Jasper Avenue and 109th Street on Sept. 4, 2004, when his friend got involved in a fight. The first officer to arrive called for backup. Boik was arrested shortly after, when one of the officers asked him for identification and he refused.

Both officers arresting him had Tasers, but decided they weren’t needed to make the arrest. They didn’t realize Hoglund had Tasered the man.

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EDMONTON - An Edmonton constable who Tasered a man during an arrest outside a downtown bar has been found guilty on a disciplinary charge of unnecessary use of force.

Const. Andrew Hoglund been given a 35-hour suspension without pay and the promotion to sergeant he earned in April 2007 is in jeopardy.

A police disciplinary hearing Thursday found that Hoglund was out of line when he fired his Taser at Robert Boik on the night of Sept. 4, 2004, when two other officers already had him under control.

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CALGARY HERALD

A man Tasered during a 2004 arrest in the midst of a parking-lot brawl in Edmonton did nothing to warrant such force, a police disciplinary hearing was told this week.

Insp. Neil Dubord, the presenting officer in the case, told the hearing Wednesday that officers “had physical control of Mr.Boik and he was no threat of a flight risk.”

Boik claims he was Tasered by Const. Andrew Hoglund after he was handcuffed, an assertion that has been contradicted by other officers’ testimony.

Hoglund is accused of unnecessary use of force. He also faces a charge of failing to file a report on the incident, to which he has pleaded guilty.

In previous testimony, Hoglund said his memory of the incident four years ago was “foggy.”

He told his hearing he doesn’t specifically recall Tasering Boik, but admits it must have been him.

Staff Sgt. Bill Newton, who advocated for Hoglund, criticized the length of the investigation, saying it led to poor memories and contradicting testimony.

“This was a confusing and con-founding incident that happened four years ago,” Newton said. “This is another example of the profound effect that protracted investigations have.”

A decision on the matter is expected Feb. 19.

In Hoglund’s case, around 25 officers converged on a bar because a fight had broken out in the parking lot.