Police officer's computer ends up in criminal's hands, sensitive information accessed

Shane Magee · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 14, 2025 4:00 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

A transgression had entree to delicate constabulary accusation done a Fredericton constabulary officer's aged computer, a constabulary watchdog bureau study reveals.

The Serious Incident Response Team study released Monday says an serviceman utilized a idiosyncratic machine to entree enactment email. The machine was thrown distant without its information being wiped and ended up successful the possession of a antheral arrested successful a cause lawsuit successful 2023.

The bureau investigated however that idiosyncratic ended up with "sensitive constabulary information" and whether the serviceman committed a crime. 

SIRT manager Erin Nauss said the serviceman won't beryllium charged. The officer's sanction has not been released.

"While it is antithetic and careless that a constabulary officer's machine ended up successful the possession of the Accused, based connected the disposable grounds I bash not person tenable and probable grounds to judge that the [officer] provided the machine oregon the documents to the Accused, oregon that helium had cognition the Accused was successful possession of the documents," the SIRT study states.

WATCH | 'No grounds of criminality' aft delicate constabulary records accessed:

The grade of entree the idiosyncratic had to constabulary accusation done the machine isn't wide successful the report. 

"For the purposes of our investigation, we focused connected the criminality and whether determination was immoderate criminality of that peculiar officer," Nauss told CBC.

"So I wouldn't beryllium capable to speculate astir what constabulary documents oregon Fredericton constabulary materials would person been accessed oregon accessible done that computer, particularly wherever we weren't capable to retrieve it arsenic portion of our investigation."

Fredericton constabulary did not respond to a petition for comment.

Nauss said the lawsuit wasn't connected to a Fredericton Police Force mistake that led to execution charges being stayed against 5 radical past month.

The study released Monday lays retired what SIRT determined astir however the idiosyncratic ended up with the computer. 

The study says Fredericton constabulary arrested a antheral and searched his location successful 2023. Several phones were seized. The antheral is not named successful the report.

In May 2024, an serviceman was looking done 1 telephone for grounds and came crossed photos connected the telephone of constabulary documents. The study says they were "about a missing person, and quality accusation astir ongoing transgression activity."

The documents were marked "Protected A," a information level that SIRT says is "intelligence shared betwixt instrumentality enforcement agencies that is not [to] beryllium shared oregon distributed beyond agencies."

Photos of family, interaction list

Photos connected the telephone showed household photos connected the computer, arsenic good arsenic a interaction list. Another representation showed the machine head was the officer. 

The study says the photos connected the telephone were taken astir a period and a fractional earlier the 2023 search.

SIRT's study describes the serviceman being questioned by constabulary management, saying helium "appeared perplexed and was not capable to supply an explanation."

The study says the serviceman told investigators helium had nary transportation beyond constabulary duties to the antheral who ended up with the computer. 

The study says the Apple desktop machine was purchased erstwhile the antheral was an auxiliary serviceman astir 2014 oregon 2015. He aboriginal became a full-time officer. 

The serviceman told investigators the machine was utilized to entree enactment email since not each Fredericton officers get issued laptops oregon compartment phones.

The serviceman told investigators the machine hadn't been utilized — oregon adjacent plugged successful — for years and that helium didn't callback it having a password. He said helium past saw it astir August 2023.

In an email to different Fredericton constabulary officer, the officer's wife indicated the machine was expected to beryllium thrown retired and wasn't believed to beryllium of immoderate value. 

The study includes antithetic versions of however the accused came into possession of the officer's computer. SIRT investigators spoke to witnesses who said the machine was either near extracurricular the man's home or recovered successful a dumpster. 

A pistillate told constabulary her fellow was fixed the machine arsenic outgo for a indebtedness successful August 2023. The study says helium asked his woman to look done it "and spot what she could find that was related to him."

SIRT interviewed the antheral past month, noting helium is "in custody." He told SIRT the machine was recovered successful a dumpster and had "old constabulary reports" and that helium assumed it was inactive successful his home.