Det. Dan Behiels relieved of duty after handing highly sensitive documents to CBC reporter

Edmonton police Chief Dale McFee was justified in suspending a detective without pay after the officer leaked confidential investigative documents to CBC News, the Edmonton Police Commission has found in a written ruling.

Det. Dan Behiels leaked information to CBC after spending three years investigating a suspected criminal organization that police suspected was run by notorious Edmonton landlord Abdullah Shah.

In January 2021, when the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) investigation known as Project Fisk concluded without any charges, a frustrated Behiels gave a thumb drive containing highly sensitive documents to CBC reporter Janice Johnston.

Two days later, Behiels confessed his actions in an emailed report to McFee, who placed him on administrative leave that February. In November 2021, Behiels was relieved from duty without pay, a decision he later appealed.

In a written decision issued Jan. 24 following a closed-door hearing in December, police commission chair John McDougall upheld the chief's decision to relieve Behiels from duty without pay, citing exceptional circumstances in the case.

"It is indisputable that the public interest and reputation of the EPS may reasonably suffer, and a loss of public confidence in the EPS may reasonably occur, if Det. Behiels is not relieved from duty without pay in relation to this alleged misconduct," McDougall wrote.

The thumb drive Behiels...

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