No charges for Alberta sheriff who used AI to create sexualized images of his co

No charges for Alberta sheriff who used AI to create sexualized images of his co-workers

Officer's conduct will have 'lasting impacts,' watchdog investigation found

An Alberta Sheriffs peace officer won't be charged criminally for using artificial intelligence to create intimate images of women, including co-workers, without their consent.

"The [officers'] conduct is serious," Alberta's police watchdog, ASIRT, said in a report issued Wednesday.

"It will have lasting impacts on his female co-workers and their ability to feel safe in the workplace."

The report said the investigation began earlier this year after a family member found AI-generated photos of women on the officer's phone, and the employer became involved.

The officer admitted to using an AI app to create the sexualized images of the women, the report said, adding he apparently used non-intimate photos posted to social media as source material.

But, it stated there is no evidence he tried to distribute the altered images.

No offence committed, watchdog rules

ASIRT, short for Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, said new laws came into effect regarding intimate AI-generated images shortly after the photos were found and the investigation began.

It said the officer did not commit an offence under previous laws.

A spokesperson for the Police Review Commission, an independent body that includes ASIRT, said the watchdog agency mentioned the legal changes in its report to show it was aware of the difference and gave it proper consideration.

"Including this information is not intended to state, or even imply, that the sheriff would have been charged under the law as it's currently written," said Jason van Rassel in an email.

The report said it was not a criminal offence, and because the agency's mandate only covers criminal matters, the officer's conduct was best addressed by the Alberta Sheriffs under their code of conduct.

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Alberta's Ministry of Public Safety, which oversees the sheriffs, says the officer has been removed from active duty pending an internal investigation.

"The Alberta Sheriffs Branch is committed to upholding the values of accountability, integrity and respect," spokesperson Sheena Campbell said in a statement.

"Those values are the foundation of the professional standards and workplace conduct expected throughout the organization."

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The spokesperson wouldn't say if the officer was still being paid, saying instead it would be inappropriate to comment further while the internal investigation is underway.

The Alberta Sheriffs are a provincially managed service employing peace officers in a variety of fields, including court and government security, fish and wildlife conservation and highway patrol.

A spokesperson for the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees, which represents around 1,000 sheriffs, declined to comment when contacted by CBC News.

Dayne Patterson is a Calgary-based reporter for The Canadian Press

With files from Vincent McDermott/CBC News