An Edmonton police officer is facing a lot of heat for his social media activity. On May 9, an Edmonton Police Service (EPS) officer posted a photo of a drug arrest on Instagram. He's now being investigated for his actions.
The photo posted on the officer's now-deleted Instagram page also had a caption attached. It read: "This fine young man was so thrilled with the service we provided him that he wanted to commemorate the moment with a picture."
It goes on to say, "Just kidding, he was so high he thought he was on Mars."
The caption also includes the hashtags "summertimepolicing" and "dontdodrugskids."
Narcity spoke to Patrycja Mokrzan of the Edmonton Police Service, who described how this situation is being handled.
"This matter was brought to the attention of Chief McFee on Monday, June 1, 2020, and he immediately determined it would be investigated by the Professional Standards Branch," she said.
She explained that "the EPS was made aware of the photo on May 11, which is when a review started."
"It’s believed that another member took the photo, which is also part of the investigation," said Mokrzan.
Mokrzan added that "PSB is attempting to contact the affected person, so they can be a meaningful participant in the process."
She said it's against Edmonton Police Service's policy to publicly name officers before they're charged or unless the case is taken to a public Disciplinary Hearing.
As the matter is now being investigated by another body, EPS declined to provide any further comment.
According to CBC News, the man who posted the photo has been identified as Mike Roblin.
The Edmonton Sun reported that the chief of police would ultimately choose whether to charge an officer or to send them to a public hearing.
Avnish Nanda, a civil rights lawyer from Edmonton, told the Edmonton Sun that such a photo is stigmatizing to those suffering from mental health issues or addictions.
Nanda also said the cop's action was inappropriate despite the fact the suspect's face was blacked out in the photo. They said that they hope such an incident can help move discussions about police reform.
The Edmonton Journal reported that the officer who posted the photo was disciplined previously for assaulting another officer while off-duty.