Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) has fired an officer facing three criminal charges.
Police Chief Troy Cooper said Const. Jarett Gelowitz was dismissed on Aug. 24 after found unsuitable for police service.
Cooper said the decision to fire Gelowitz, whose criminal charges are still before the court, was made to maintain the public trust in the force.
“I was satisfied that the officer was unsuitable for police service, based on a pattern and based on concerning events,” Cooper told reporters.
“Given the nature of and the seriousness of those events, I thought it was important that the community knows how serious we take our authorities.”
Gelowitz was assigned to administrative duties on Dec. 28, 2017 after being charged with common assault for an on-duty incident dating back one year.
He was one of the officers who responded to a stolen SUV in December 2016.
The driver suffered a minor cut on his arm, but police have not said if it happened before or during his arrest, only that a physical confrontation occurred.
Gelowitz is now facing two more charges, which were announced Monday morning, for incidents in early 2017.
The charges were laid Friday – the same day Gelowitz was dismissed without pay.
The first incident occurred on Jan. 22 when a man received minor injuries while being arrested after a foot pursuit.
The SPS use of force committee reviewed the incident after concerns were raised, and an investigation was launched by the force’s professional standards division.
Gelowitz was charged with common assault in the incident following consultation with the Crown.
The second incident happened on April 15 during the arrest of two men after a stolen vehicle chase.
Police said at the time it was thought the two suspects had suffered minor injuries, but injuries to the driver were found to be more serious than first thought.
An investigation was launched by the major crime section, with oversight by Saskatchewan’s Justice Ministry.
An aggravated assault charge was recommended by the Crown.
Gelowitz is scheduled to appear in Saskatoon provincial court on Sept. 13.
Should Gelowitz be found not guilty of the charges, Cooper said further investigation would be possible under the Police Act.
SPS said Gelowitz has the right to appeal his dismissal, which must be filed within 30 days.
Any appeal would be heard by an independent hearing officer designated by the minister responsible for the Police Act.
In a statement, the head of the union representing Saskatoon police officers said Gelowitz’s case marks the first time a Saskatoon officer has been terminated prior to a criminal trial.
“The terminated member has not had an opportunity to address these allegations,” said Dean Pringle, president of the Saskatoon Police Association.
“This is an unprecedented move and is clearly not supported by the Saskatchewan Police Act.”
Pringle said the union will assist Gelowitz in filing an appeal to his dismissal.
– With files from Global’s Ryan Kessler