CALGARY — A review ordered after the fatal shooting of a Mountie in Alberta suggests police officers should not have to stand in at bail hearings that immediately follow an arrest.
The review says Crown prosecutors should instead be present at all such hearings.
The Alberta government says it is already acting on several of the review's 31 recommendations, but adds it will need to consult with police and the courts before moving forward with others.
The province asked for the review following the shooting death of RCMP Const. David Wynn outside an Edmonton-area casino in January 2015.
The shooter, Shawn Rehn, had a lengthy history of criminal and violent behaviour, but was free after a bail hearing where a police officer was present.
That raised the question of whether Crown prosecutors, with more courtroom experience, should attend all bail hearings.
The government said Friday that there were about 60,000 criminal arrests in the province in 2015 that were followed by a first-instance bail hearing. Police were present at 99 per cent of those hearings.
Rehn was found dead in a home after the shooting and his death was deemed a suicide
Between 1995 and 2015, he had been convicted of 68 offences, most of them property crimes, but some involving violence and drug use. He was charged with breaching his bail conditions on 10 different occasions, which resulted in 21 charges.
On the day he died, Rehn was still facing 30 charges for four separate offences, including fraud, resisting a peace officer, escaping lawful custody, possessing a prohibited firearm, failing to appear in court, failing to stop for police, dangerous driving and multiple charges of breaching bail conditions.
A survey by The Canadian Press of justice and Crown officials from across Canada at the time revealed a patchwork of policies, but Alberta was the only province that predominantly relied on police rather than Crowns at initial bail hearings.
