Civilian member of Edmonton Police Service charged with child pornography offences

A 32-year-old civilian employee of the Edmonton Police Service has been charged with making, distributing and possessing child pornography.

The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams’ Internet Child Exploitation unit began its investigation in March, after receiving a tip from the United States Department of Homeland Security.

The tip suggested that an unknown suspect, who possibly worked in law enforcement, was involved in online child sexual exploitation, ALERT said in a media release Friday afternoon.

“Many of our investigations are worldwide, so this isn’t unique to us to have the Department of Homeland Security reach out to us to ask us to deal with an investigation that falls into our boundaries of northern Alberta,” Staff Sgt. Mike Zaparyniuk with ALERT said.

“We’ve done a number of investigations with the U.S. as well as other ICE units around the world and throughout Canada.”

The investigation led to the arrest of Richard Adamsky on April 1. ALERT said Adamsky was arrested at his home in Sherwood Park.

ALERT said computers and electronic devices were seized from the Sherwood Park home, which will now go through a “complete forensic analysis” by ICE.

Adamsky is charged with making, distributing and possessing child pornography.

ICE said it has no information to suggest Adamsky offended on any children.

Adamsky worked as an emergency communications officer with the EPS, according to ALERT who said he also volunteered with Scouts Canada as a leader in Sherwood Park.

“Sadly, these types of offenders can be found in all types of professions,” Zaparyniuk said.

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“A number of EPS members work in the ICE unit and I can tell you it is very upsetting to have to investigate and arrest someone from your own organization. However, there is a great sense of relief that the suspect was caught.”

The mother of a five-year-old boy who was in Adamsky’s Beaver Scouts group said she learned of the charges Thursday night.

“I’m so shaken up by all of this,” said the woman whose name Global News has agreed to keep anonymous to protect the identity of her child. “It’s sick.

“I never would have expected something like this. We met him. He is a very nice man, so friendly, had so much fun with the kids.

“It’s very disturbing that he had such close access to children.”

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The woman said the scouts group met weekly. She said Adamsky had been her son’s leader since September.

“He was involved in everything, in planning of everything,” she said. “They would either go on a hike, go outside somewhere. Sometimes they went skating in the community. They did swimming one time. They would meet at the gym at that school and sing songs and play games.”

She said she and her husband have spoken to their son about the incident.

Patrycja Mokrzan, a spokesperson with the EPS, said Adamsky has worked in the 911 dispatch section since 2015.

She said he was suspended without pay on Friday morning.

“He will remain suspended without pay until the criminal charges are dealt with. It will then go to EPS Human Resources,” Mokrzan said.

The executive director of Scouts Canada said the organization learned of the charges on Wednesday.

“We are of course very troubled by this news,” John Petitti said in a statement.

Adamsky has been a member of Scouts Canada since September 2016, Petitti said. His membership was terminated immediately after Scouts Canada learned of the charges.

“ICE did not contact Scouts Canada during the course of their investigation and have told us that they have no indication that scouting youth had been put at risk at any time,” Petitti said. “If requested, we will support the ICE investigation in any way that we can.”

He said nothing is more important to Scouts Canada than the safety of the youth in their care.

Adamsky was released on bail and has to abide by a number of court-imposed conditions, including not to possess any electronic devices and not to seek or obtain employment or any volunteer position that involves being in a position of trust or authority towards children.

Investigators are asking anyone with information about this case to contact police or file a report online.

Adamsky is scheduled to make his first court appearance on June 10.

With files from Kirby Bourne, 630 CHED.