Edmonton police officer charged with assault in incident at downtown LRT station

An Edmonton police officer has been charged with assault after an on-duty incident at a downtown LRT station.

Det. Michael Bates, who has been with the force 17 years, was charged Tuesday, the Edmonton Police Service said in a statement.

He is still on active duty, according to EPS but "employed in a non-patrol and non-supervisory position."

The incident that prompted the criminal charge happened at the Corona LRT station on Jan. 20, 2024, EPS said. No further details were given about what allegedly took place, or what the officer was doing at the time.

The EPS Professional Standards Branch initiated a internal complaint about the officer in March, and a formal investigation started on April 4.

The police statement says the case was referred to the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service in Calgary, and in August, prosecutors recommended laying an assault charge.

Dan Jones, chair of justice studies at NorQuest College, said a lack of details about what happened won't win police any favours.

"I think when you look at the police, the concept of police legitimacy, one of the key components of that is transparency and procedural justice," Jones told CBC in an interview.

"With such a vague release, you're not getting the transparency and ... it won't lead to increased legitimacy. It'll be like, OK, they charge them, but what for? What did he do?"