3 Calgary police officers charged in connection with sexual misconduct investigations

Three Calgary police officers have been charged in connection with two separate sexual misconduct investigations.

One investigation got underway in January 2025, following allegations that an officer who met women during work “had, or attempted to have, sexual contact with them both on- and off-duty,” police say.

Const. Adam McBride has been charged with four counts of breach of trust and resigned from the Calgary Police Service (CPS) on Wednesday.

He’s scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 7.

It’s alleged that a second officer was aware of and encouraged, or facilitated, the alleged actions of McBride.

Const. David Harms has been charged with two counts of breach of trust. Harms was relieved from duty without pay. He’s scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 7.

Photo ‘shared without consent,’ police say

Over the course of the investigation, “direct messages were discovered where a photo of a partially nude woman was shared without consent,” according to police.

Const. Tyler Hobberstad has been charged with a single count of breach of trust and a single count of distribution of an intimate image.

He was relieved of duty without pay and is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 8.

The chief confirmed there were six women involved and the investigation started in January.

Alleged incidents go back to May 2023 and continued into March of this year.

The chief said they are still looking into whether they might be more victims.

“While the legal process will take time and limits what we can share publicly, I want Calgarians to know this: we take these matters extremely seriously,” said CPS Chief Katie McLellan.

“This investigation reflects our commitment to thorough and transparent accountability. We understand that serious allegations involving the conduct of serving members, even while off-duty, can significantly affect the public’s trust and confidence in us.

“That trust is foundational, and we remain steadfast in upholding the highest standards of conduct for our members and earning the confidence of the community we serve.”

‘Disappointment and embarrassment’

“When I had the honour of being appointed the chief of this service, I committed to being transparent and accountable. Today I stand before you doing that. However, it is with disappointment and embarrassment that I am here today,” McLellan said.

McLellan said the investigations began in January were conducted with oversight from the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, the province’s police watchdog. She noted she’s limited in what she can disclose, since the case is now before the courts and the investigation is overseen by ASIRT.

Katherine Murphy, the force’s chief strategy officer and general counsel, told the news conference that breach-of-trust charges are fairly rare, and that key elements need to be met, including that the person facing the charge is a public official.

Additionally, she said the alleged conduct must have been carried out in connection with the accused’s duties, and the accused must have allegedly breached the standards demanded of them by virtue of their office “in a serious or marked way.”

Anyone who believes they have received inappropriate contact of a personal nature by a police officer is encouraged to report it to the professional standards section at 403-428-5904 or by filing an online report here.

With files from CTV’s Kevin Green and The Canadian Press