Calgary police officer sent to work with kids after discipline for sexually deviant behaviour at work

A Calgary police officer facing charges connected to an indecent act was previously assigned to work with children after he was disciplined in a separate incident for on-the-job sexually deviant behaviour against a vulnerable person, CBC News has learned.

Const. Daryn Emmett was charged in July, and although the Calgary Police Service (CPS) did not release details of the allegations against Emmett, sources with knowledge of the investigation say he is accused of masturbating during a massage appointment.

In an unrelated incident, Emmett was disciplined in 2017 for using CPS social media accounts to send sexually explicit messages and photos to a woman who was known to police and who suffers from mental health issues. 

Some of the photos of Emmett were taken at police facilities and some messages were sent while he was on the clock, according to the disciplinary decision.

Sent to work at YouthLink  

Ultimately, a three year reprimand was issued and attached to Emmett's personnel file.

After that, he was sent to work at YouthLink, Calgary police's interpretive centre for children, sources confirmed. 

CPS would not acknowledge Emmett worked at YouthLink, but said "complaints about officer conduct are taken seriously."

"Privacy legislation prevents the Calgary Police Service from commenting on employment history, including discipline," said the service in a written statement.

"Const. Emmett is assigned to the Court & Disclosure Unit and has been placed on an administrative leave pending review."

Emmett's lawyer Shamsher Kothari wouldn't comment on his client's time at YouthLink or the previous disciplinary decision.

In relation to his client's pending criminal charges from July, Kothari said he is awaiting disclosure from the prosecution. 

339 pages of messages

According to a 10-page disciplinary decision dated Dec.14, 2017, Emmett pleaded guilty to discreditable conduct and insubordination for offences which took place between Aug. 30 and Dec. 22, 2015.

During that time, Emmett was in the public affairs and media relations unit which had access to the service's social media accounts.

Emmett admitted that he sent messages through the CPS Facebook account to a woman who CBC News is identifying only as AC.

In the course of the professional standards investigation, AC handed over 339 pages of online communications with Emmett. 

One message quoted in the disciplinary decision reads:

"You're 35, yes…you're in your sexual prime…Mid 30s, how do you survive on your own without physical I mean…"

In his decision, the presiding officer, retired superintendent Paul Manuel, described the messages as "pornographic, erotic, obscene and lewd."

Emmett is back in court in September in relation to his criminal charge from July.