After launching an anti-corruption investigation last November, Calgary Police Officer Robert Cumming has been suspended from duty.
Cumming was arrested last Friday on charges of drug possession, theft and breach of trust charges after serving on the force for 15 years.
The investigation was started after the anti-corruption unit received a tip that accused an officer of seizing cannabis but then failing to dispose of it according to correct police procedure.
Supt. Ryan Ayliffe said the seven month investigation was “significant and complex.”
“The public trust and confidence is something we take very seriously,” Ayliffe said. “We don’t like to disappoint the community when things like this happen, but at the same time we want to be transparent when these things do happen.”
Ayliffe said he could only recall a handful of instances during his career when an officer is charged with breach of trust and it is the most serious charge Cumming is facing.
Cumming will appear in court July 15 and also faces a profesional standards review after the current charges are resolved in court.
Cumming is currently on leave with pay for the next week, but his compensation will be reviewed.