Calgary police have charged a former member of the force with breach of trust and misuse of a computer system, following a 16-month-long investigation.
CPS Chief Mark Neufeld announced details of the charges and investigation during a Wednesday news conference.
Investigators believe that 51-year-old Brett Singer, a 16-year veteran of the force, engaged in personal relationships with numerous women with whom he had initial contact through calls-for-service or police-related matters between 2008 and 2023.
It is further alleged that Singer used police databases for a personal purpose to find and engage in further contact with the women, outside of his policing duties.
Calgary Police Chief Constable Mark Neufeld describes the case against 51-year-old Brett Singer as ‘extraordinary’ saying to his knowledge it is the first time a Canada-wide arrest warrant has been issued against a former officer for alleged crimes committed while on duty.
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Neufeld said the initial complaint was brought forward in July 2023.
“Our professional standard section received a complaint from a citizen regarding one of our officers who they reportedly met as a result of responding to a dispatch call for service,” said Neufeld.
“He’s alleged to have contacted her subsequently, ostensibly to follow up and ultimately cultivated a romantic relationship through various means.”
“The original complainant became aware of several other women who allegedly had similar experiences with the same officer,” added Neufeld, adding she provided those additional names to CPS professional standards investigators.
“Further audits of police databases revealed that the officer had access to police database records related to these women, ostensibly to facilitate subsequent conversations and to aid in inappropriate advances toward them,” said Neufeld.
“To be clear, this is not a lawful reason to be accessing such information.”
Singer was suspended with pay in January 2024.
Neufeld said, in July of 2024, the matter was referred to the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service and in September 2024 Singer was suspended without pay.
However, Neufeld said Singer resigned from the force shortly afterwards and it’s believed he has since fled the country and not returned.
As a result a Canada-wide warrant has been issued for his arrest and police have issued a photo of him to the public.
Neufeld described the case as ‘extraordinary’.
“To my knowledge, (this is) the first time we’ve issued an arrest warrant for a current or former police officer for offences that are alleged to have occurred while that police officer was on duty,” added Neufeld.
Neufeld has also issued an apology to Singer’s alleged victims, calling it an “egregious breach of trust” that “undermines trust and confidence with the public in a very serious way.”
“To the women who were impacted by this individual and to Calgarians generally, I want you to know this is a serious situation that we will never take lightly,” said Neufeld.
“This was a CPS officer, someone who held a position of authority, someone you should have been able to trust. We have zero tolerance for these behaviours by police officers and will take every measure to protect the public and to hold those who engage in these activities to full account,” added Neufeld.
“This behaviour is not reflective of the values of our service, nor the good work done by the majority of our members every day,” said Neufeld.
Investigators believe 51-year-old Brett Singer, a former 16-year member of the police force has fled the country after being charged with breach of trust.
Photo provided by Calgary Police
Investigators are also asking anyone who believes they had inappropriate contact of a personal nature with Singer or any other police officer to contact the Calgary Police Force’s Professional Standards Section online or call 403-428-5904.