Article content continued

Investigators are now looking for CCTV footage and trying to determine if other nearby vehicles were also broken into. At this time, police have not received any reports of other vehicle break-in thefts in the area, prompting investigators to look into whether the officer’s Subaru was targeted.

“Sick to my stomach,” said Stuart, when asked how he felt upon learning about the incident. “There is no reason, in my mind, why an officer would take this firearm home.”

The case has sparked a criminal investigation into the storage of the firearm, as well as an internal investigation with the professional standards section to determine whether any policies and procedures were breached, which the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) is overseeing.

Stuart said he was also made aware of allegations on social media about police canvassing vehicles in the area in a bid to search for clues in the case, which could potentially spark a separate professional standards investigation.

The officer, a three-year member with the Calgary Police Service, is being suspended with pay.

“If our investigation determines there is any Criminal Code breaches that put the public safety and officers’ safety (at risk), this officer’s career is in huge jeopardy,” Stuart said. “We hold our officers to a very high standard, and this will be an extensive investigation.”

He said it’s not uncommon for police officers to bring their handguns home, especially after a night shift, with court duties to follow the next morning. But he stressed that every officer is subject to the same rules and laws as Canadian citizens in regards to the safe storage of firearms.