Former Medicine Hat police station detention guard charged with accessing police records without authorization

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on July 18, 2023.

https://www.medicinehatnews.com@MedicineHatNews

A former detention guard at the Medicine Hat police station has been charged with accessing police records without authorization.

A statement from Medicine Hat Police Service says the former member of the commissionaires used a computer to search for records on about 100 individuals in 2022 and 2023 without a valid work-related reason.

The 20-year-old man was suspended when the breach was discovered and the local service’s criminal investigation service began an investigation.

That suspension in now permanent, the statement reads, and the man, Teagan Austin, has been charged with one count of fraudulent use of a computer.

“The MHPS does not take it for granted that we are entrusted with private and often very sensitive information about the people we serve,” reads a statement from police chief Alan Murphy.

“This is a responsibility we take very seriously, and it is completely unacceptable for any officer or civilian employee to accesses private information without a valid reason.”

MHPS does not believe the information was shared for financial gain. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner was also informed.

Medicine Hat Police say employees and contractors undergo a security check before they are provided access to police databases, and that network activity is monitored for misuse.

Anyone with concerns that their information may have been accessed can contact the MHPS at inquiries@mhps.ca.