LPS headquarters -- LNN

By Dori Modney

Alberta Crown Prosecutors withdraw criminal charges against LPS officer

Dec 2, 2020 | 10:37 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB. –– Ten months after a police cell incident and awaiting court proceedings, a Lethbridge Police officer has learned an assault charge against him has been withdrawn by the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service.

This past August, the Lethbridge Police Service (LPS) confirmed that Constable David Easter was charged with the assault of a male prisoner and relieved of duty without pay. The charge stemmed from an incident in the LPS short-term holding facility, on February 9, 2020. The prisoner did not sustain any injuries.

Following the incident, an internal complaint, under the Police Act, was made to the Director of Law Enforcement. The matter was not assigned to the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team. Instead, the LPS Professional Standards Unit was directed to conduct the investigation, which ultimately recommended a charge of assault to the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service. The action was upheld by the Lethbridge Police Commission.

At the time, Acting Chief Scott Woods commented, “In this case, I believe exceptional circumstances exist, that warrant the relief of duty without pay, for the good of the Police Service and to uphold the public expectation that police officers be held to the highest standards.”

Crown Prosecutors recently conducted a further review of the case and determined Cst. Easter’s action in February did not warrant a criminal charge and the case was withdrawn on Wednesday, Dec. 2.

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The Lethbridge Police Association (LPA) was concerned about the fact that the Police Commission decided to uphold the decision to suspend Cst. Easter without pay.

LPA President Jay McMillan noted, “In this instance, we were honestly confused by the initial interest in pursuing charges, but extremely confidant that common sense and the available evidence would win out and that Cst. Easter’s innocence would be established.

McMillan indicated possible misconduct under the Police Service Regulations are under review by the Service, in accordance with provincial legislation and he welcomes further review.

“The process is sound – police officers are rightfully held to a higher standard and public expectations are justifiably demanding of us.”

It isn’t known yet what, or if, internal measures will be taken toward an internal review of the matter.