The Database
The Alberta Police Misconduct Database is the culmination of a collaborative effort between lawyers, academics, students, and other professionals over a number of decades. For years, incidents of police misconduct were shared between legal parties in an effort to hold police officers in the province accountable.
We wanted this information to be publicly-accessible and after nearly two years of data entry and web building by volunteers, this resource launched in May 2022. We are sharing this information with the public in a searchable, downloadable format to help further discussions about policing in Alberta and across the country.
The Database contains publicly available information such as news articles, disciplinary decisions, CanLII cases, and documents obtained through Freedom of Information requests. All entries are backed up by these primary sources, and have been vetted by Alberta Police Misconduct Database Association volunteers. Our hope is this database serves as a tool for accountability. Police officers are accountable to the public and each incident in the database is a story that we believe Albertans deserve to know about.
The Database includes both alleged and founded incidents of police misconduct. The Association has opted to include alleged instances of misconduct as a matter of public interest. Police officers hold a great deal of power in our society, with no substantial public authority established to evaluate and resolve claims of misconduct against citizens. Oftentimes, people who have been subjected to police misconduct do not have the means to pursue their case to full resolution. By including unproven allegations, the Database hopes to shed light on alleged instances of misconduct that may otherwise not be given the attention and scrutiny they deserve.
Who We Are
The Alberta Police Misconduct Database Association is a group of civilians, lawyers, and academics who are interested in police accountability, and committed to overseeing the collection, vetting, and organization of incidents of police misconduct in Alberta.
- Devyn Ens - President
- Amy Matychuk - Vice-President
- Rob Houle - Secretary
- Nicholas Yee - Treasurer
- Temitope Oriola - Member-at-Large
- Sarah Flynn - Member-at-Large
Questions or concerns regarding the Database can be sent to info@policemisconductdatabase.ca. Submissions for new entries or information will not be accepted by email at this time.