Saskatoon police officer fired over multiple assault charges

Saskatoon police chief Troy Cooper has fired a constable facing assault charges.

Cooper dismissed Const. Jarett Gelowitz from the Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) effective Aug. 24.

He held a press conference Monday announcing the decision, which came in light of Gelowitz facing charges of aggravated assault and common assault stemming from two different incidents while he was on duty in early 2017.

‘I was satisfied that the officer was unsuitable for police service based on a pattern and based on concerning events,” Cooper said.

The new charges come as Gelowitz was already facing another common assault charge dating back to December 2016.

Gelowitz had been confined to administrative duties since Dec. 28, 2017 while he was under investigation.

Cooper said the new charges warranted dismissing Gelowitz outright before his cases go to court.

“We felt that at this point in time, it would not be possible to continue to employ Const. Gelowitz and still maintain public trust.”

The first of Gelowitz’s latest charges was laid after an investigation of a Jan. 22, 2017 arrest of a suspect who suffered minor injuries after a foot chase.  The charges came after the SPS use-of-force committee looked at the incident and referered the matter to the public complaints commission, which then led to a review by the SPS professional standards division. A consultation with Crown prosecutors led to a charge of common assault.

Gelowitz was charged with aggravated assault following an incident reported on April 15, 2017. Two men were arrested that day after allegedly fleeing from police in a stolen vehicle.

The men were arrested after police managed to blow out the tires on the vehicle. Both were thought to have suffered minor injuries, but the driver of the vehicle was later found to have been seriously hurt.

The SPS major crimes unit investigated, with oversight from the Ministry of Justice. Gelowitz was again charged after police consulted with the Crown.

Under the Police Act, Gelowitz has 30 days to appeal his dismissal. Should he choose to do so, the matter would be heard before an independent officer designated by the province.

Gelowitz is due to appear Sept. 13 in Saskatoon Provincial Court.

—With files from 650 CKOM’s Keenan Sorokan