Calgary police officer charged with assault connected to 2022 incident

A 10-year officer with the Calgary Police Service has been charged with assault after an investigation into the officer’s handling of a detainee at an arrest processing centre two years ago.

CPS said at around 1:30 a.m. on March 20, 2022, a 25-year-old man was arrested on outstanding warrants and taken to the arrest processing centre. A struggle ensued and force was used by an officer, police said.

A medic on the scene checked the detainee, determining he should be taken to hospital to be cleared to be fit for further detainment. Later the same day when the man was returned to police custody, the person was observed over CCTV having what looked like a seizure in their cell. He was taken back to hospital.

CPS informed the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT), who started its investigation of the incident two days later.

That investigation provided reasonable grounds to believe an offence had been committed. ASIRT forwarded the investigation to the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service to determine if the evidence met the standard for prosecution.

Crown prosecutors told ASIRT that standard was met by the evidence, and ASIRT executive director Michael Ewenson determined the officer should be charged.

On Thursday, Const. David Wilhelm was charged with assault under section 266 of the Criminal Code. Wilhelm was released on an appearance notice and is schedule to appear in court on April 17.

After the charges were laid, CPS confirmed the officer was placed on restricted duties throughout the investigation and his duty status is under review.

CPS also confirmed Wilhelm was a 10-year member of the police service.

“As this matter is the purview of the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team and is now before the courts, we are unable to provide further comment,” CPS said Thursday.

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