Edmonton police officer fired for sexually assaulting colleague during off-duty trip
An Edmonton Police Service constable with more than seven years of service has been fired after a disciplinary hearing found him to have sexually assaulted an officer during an off-duty ski trip.
In a recently released decision, presiding officer Fred Kamis, retired RCMP chief superintendent, ordered the immediate termination of Const. Stephen Fossen for groping a fellow officer during a trip to Canmore in January 2019.
During that trip, the documents say a group of officers had rented a condo and brought along a "booze bag" and blood alcohol screening device.
After a night of drinking and playing card games, the documents state that Fossen attempted to sleep, but his roommate snored loudly. He went to sleep on a chair when the victim offered to share her bed with him.
A publication ban covers the victim's identity.
“No invitation to engage in sexual activity was made by the victim,” Kamins wrote. “She was in her sleeping attire and under the covers. Const. Fossen was dressed in sweatpants and a hoodie and carried his own pillow and blanket and lay down on top of the bed covers next to the victim."
"The victim awoke to find Const. Fossen's arm over top of her and his hand touching her genitals," Kamis added.
Fossen later sent a text message to the female officer apologizing for the assault, blaming the incident on "drunk Fozzie."
In 2019, Fossen was charged with sexual assault in connection to the incident following an investigation by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team. The criminal charges were withdrawn at the victim's request.
Since then, Fossen had been suspended without pay. Kamins said that Fossen had "an excellent reputation" among the service with no prior discipline issues.
"By all accounts, Const. Fossen was an excellent police officer," Kamins noted. "He was a mentor to many and, to my mind, the embodiment of an informal leader."
Despite that, Kamis said Fossen was in a position of trust, which he violated.
"(The victim) was unconcerned with sharing the bed under the circumstances because it was a trusted colleague," the disciplinary hearing's presiding officer wrote. "Unfortunately, that trust was misplaced, and the sexual assault took place."
Teresa Magee, the presenting officer representing EPS Chief Dale McFee, said Fossen should be removed from the service since there would be "community outrage" if he were to continue working.
Defence lawyer Bob Hladun argued that dismissal was "ridiculous" as a sanction and that Fossen had been punished for three years while being suspended without pay.
Hladun added that "public confidence" would not be "so easily shattered," rather, community members would be worried that after EPS invested time and resources into training Fossen, his firing would "be of concern" after "one spur of the moment, drunken act."
Kamis said it was an "egregious" breach of trust since police officers need to be able to trust each other completely in any situation, meaning dismissal was "within the realm" of appropriate sanctions.
Fossen also had "consistently denied" the allegation of misconduct, tried to hide it when questioned by his supervisor, and did not demonstrate remorse, Kamis added.
"His actions in taking advantage of a junior female officer and the situation call into question whether he could ever be placed into a policing position without constant monitoring due to his lack of integrity," Kamis said.
"A clear and strong message needs to be sent now, more than ever, that this misconduct will result in serious sanction."
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Karyn Mulcahy
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Quebec judge orders bus driver to stand trial for 2023 daycare crash deaths
A judge has ordered a Quebec man to stand trial on charges of first-degree murder in the deaths of two children killed when a bus rammed into a Montreal-area daycare last year.
Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.