Edmonton Police Board Upholds Dismissal of Officer for Steroid Trafficking

A recent ruling from the Law Enforcement Review Board (LERB) has confirmed the dismissal of former Edmonton police officer Greg Lewis, who was found guilty of selling anabolic steroids to colleagues. The board upheld the decision made by the Edmonton Police Service (EPS), stating that no legal errors occurred in the firing process.

The LERB’s ruling was issued on September 19, 2023, almost two years after Lewis appealed his dismissal. The appeal followed his conviction in 2018 on two counts of trafficking controlled substances, specifically the anabolic steroids Winstrol and Dianabol. His dismissal resulted from being found guilty of five offenses under the Police Act.

Details of the Case and Investigation

Lewis’s case dates back to November 2012, when the EPS received a letter alleging steroid trafficking within the police service. Investigators later discovered that Lewis had sold steroids to another officer during training in the early 2000s. This revelation prompted an investigation by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT), which resulted in charges against Lewis and another officer, Constable Darren French, on March 6, 2015.

ASIRT emphasized that while anabolic steroids can have legitimate medical uses, their illegal trafficking poses significant health risks. The agency noted, “Access to these substances, however, is quite properly restricted and regulated.” As such, the trafficking of these substances constitutes a criminal offense under the Controlled Drug and Substances Act.

Following his conviction, Lewis was suspended without pay and sentenced to probation along with a fine. The judge acknowledged that Lewis did not profit from the sales, stating, “It wasn’t a matter of Mr. Lewis going out and seeking customers.”

Disciplinary Actions and Appeal Process

After the conviction, Dale McFee, the police chief, cited Lewis with six counts of misconduct under the Police Act. These included allegations of sending “inappropriate” emails and making unauthorized searches on the Canadian Police Information Centre database. Following a disciplinary hearing led by retired RCMP officer Fred Kamins, Lewis was found guilty on five counts and ordered to be fired on December 15, 2022.

Lewis appealed this decision, arguing that McFee was barred from laying the original charges due to the passage of time. He claimed that the steroid trafficking took place between 2007 and 2013, which he argued was outside the one-year limitation period specified in the Police Act. However, the LERB concluded that the limitation period should be measured from the date of Lewis’s conviction rather than the date of the alleged misconduct.

The board stated, “The presiding officer’s finding that the limitation period began at the conviction date was reasonable.” They noted that the Police Act defines discreditable conduct as “contravening” an act, which necessitates a conviction to establish guilt.

In its ruling, the LERB affirmed that Lewis had not identified any flaws in Kamins’ decision, thus supporting the initial ruling.

While the decision was made public this week, it was issued on the same day that Warren Driechel was appointed as Edmonton’s new chief of police. Driechel has openly acknowledged his past involvement in the steroid scandal, admitting to purchasing steroids from French, who has since pled guilty to trafficking offenses after resigning from the EPS. Since his appointment, Driechel has expressed his commitment to learning from the mistakes made during this incident.

ASIRT’s investigation initially identified six officers involved in the buying and selling of steroids, although court testimonies indicated that at least thirty officers may have used these substances.

This case underscores the ongoing challenges within law enforcement agencies regarding drug use, accountability, and the implications of misconduct among officers.