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A former Saskatoon police officer will have no criminal record if he abides by his probation for assaulting a fellow female service member at a house party in September 2024.
At Saskatoon Provincial Court on Wednesday, following a joint submission, Dylan J. Kemp was given a conditional discharge with 12 months of probation.
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Kemp is required to comply with several conditions that include abstaining from drugs and alcohol, making no contact with the victim and participating in mental health programming and counselling.
Kemp was fired from his position with the Saskatoon Police Service following an investigation done by the Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT).
The court heard it was an alcohol-fueled backyard hot tub party that turned violent the evening of the assault.
According to the agreed statement of facts read by Crown prosecutor, Christopher Browne, Kemp and his girlfriend – who was also a member of the Saskatoon Police Service – hosted the party on September 14, 2024.
Browne said numerous employees of the Saskatoon Police Service attended the party at the Saskatoon residence, including on- and off- duty sworn members, friends and family members.
“Kemp was described during the party as being one of the most intoxicated individuals present,” Browne said. “He was described as loud, in-your-face and asserting dominance.”
As the evening proceeded, some people in attendance were described as acting inappropriately.
Court heard that Kemp approached the victim, who was a special constable and alternate response officer with Saskatoon police, and put his hand on her throat asking her “if she liked it.”
The victim struck Kemp in the chest and shoulder to back him away, Kemp then grabbed her wrist and she struggled to break free. The two ended up falling into a nearby couch and Kemp was on top of her before she kicked him off.
Browne said the victim went to the backyard and Kemp came out of the house making a comment that the victim could fight and “wanted to show everyone.”
According to the agreed statement of facts, the two ended up on the ground as Kemp squeezed his legs around her and the victim asked him to stop.
Kemp approached the victim again, he hit her in the nose which started to bleed. Browne said the victim did not consent to any physical contact and the assault resulted in a bruise to her right wrist and a black eye.
Kemp, dressed in a black suit jacket, addressed the courtroom during the hearing on Thursday.
“I invited her to my house for a night of safety and enjoyment and that’s not what happened that night, unfortunately,” he said.
Kemp said he has not consumed alcohol following the incident and has taken the time to focus on health and take care of himself.
“This is a cautionary tale,” he said.
Earlier this year, an appeal hearing for Kemp to get his job back was dismissed by a Saskatoon judge.
Defense lawyer calls for better mental health support for officers
Outside of provincial court, defense lawyer Brian Pfefferle said Kemp experienced significant trauma throughout his career, including PTSD that wasn’t properly addressed, which led to an alcohol disorder and other serious issues.
Defense lawyer, Brian Pfefferle, outside of Saskatoon Provincial Court on April 16, 2026. (Mia Holowaychuk/650 CKOM)
“That’s one of the reasons why the prosecution didn’t think it was appropriate to give a criminal record,” Pfefferle noted. “We appreciate their compassion in dealing with this matter.”
Pfefferle pointed to an incident in 2019 where Kemp saw a child that had been mauled by a dog, a 2021 domestic homicide where the deceased was heavily mutilated and an officer-involved shooting just one month prior to the assault.
“When you consider all those factors, I think generally the public would see this individual as someone who probably didn’t get the support he needed,” Pfefferle said.
“He was subjected to a number of very traumatic events, and unfortunately, machismo … caused him to bury it in his mind and it caused damage to him.”
Pfefferle said Kemp took accountability for the incident from the very beginning.
“He essentially said he had limited memory of it from his state of intoxication (and) apologized right away,” Pfefferle said.
Pffefferle also noted that Kemp has taken a vocal approach in addressing the importance of addressing the mental health of first responders.
The defence lawyer said, while Kemp has taken responsibility for his actions, more needs to be done when it comes to supporting the mental health of police officers.
“That’s why we’ve had recent incidents involving suicides of officers (and) that’s why we’ve had these incidents happening.”
Pfefferle said there should be an appreciation for those involved in policing and the traumatic impact it can have on a daily basis.
“It’s important to take compassion to everybody, whether it’s an accused person, whether it’s a person who’s a first responder, these people see things that no person should see.”
