CTV News has learned that a Calgary police detective, who faced a lengthy list of allegations of misconduct under the Police Act, won’t have to face any penalties.
Former detective Terry Freiter retired before the conclusion of his internal disciplinary hearing and will still walk away with a full pension.
It's a policy loophole that has some members of CPS angry and frustrated.
Detective Freiter was facing 10 charges under the Police Act including; four counts of corrupt practice and four counts of insubordination.
A hearing into those allegations began in December of last year but was delayed until October 27th.
After his retirement, on Saturday, Freiter is no longer bound by the Police Act, so he will not have to complete the hearing. We’ll never know if he would have been found guilty, convicted or cleared of any wrongdoing.
It’s not the first time Freiter has been a part of an internal investigation.
When we first reported on the former detective almost a year ago, CTV News discovered that he was also alleged to have conducted outside investigative work for the private detective firm, Walton and Walton.
Internal police documents obtained by CTV News show he was also accused of 12 more breaches of the act for those dealings.
Two former and two current CPS officers are now facing criminal charges in connection with Walton and Walton but Freiter has not been charged.
We spoke with Freiter’s family who maintains his innocence, adding, “Terry has an unblemished record and was looking forward to clearing his name at the hearing, but the process simply took too long,”
But Mount Royal University Criminologist, Ritesh Narayan, says a move like this doesn't look good in the public eye.
“I think it’s a blatant abuse of loopholes within the Alberta Police Act and CPS regulation. Of course, you know, the onlookers and to the public, what it looks like is that these are loopholes that are being abused by CPS to protect their own,” said Narayan.
Many of the officers CTV News spoke with were extremely upset that a cop facing a lengthy list of allegations of misconduct will walk away without facing punishment.
However, the chief says the retiring officer isn't to blame, rather, a lengthy hearing process and outdated police act are.
“I wouldn't ever sort of say, a bad apple walked away. I think in this case we had a process of allegations of misconduct, we had a process to say to bring that evidence forward, to put it to a hearing, to have it all heard. The fact that the resignation stopped the process is not on the officer as much as it is on the regulations before us,” said Chaffin.
Freiter will collect his pension in full.
