Edmonton police officer Mike Wasylyshen promoted despite criminal record – CBC

Dec 04, 2014

Critics say promotion sends wrong message

The Edmonton Police Service recently promoted officer Mike Wasylyshen to sergeant despite a criminal record for the drunken, off-duty assault of a man on crutches and a disciplinary suspension for Tasering a passed-out native youth.

I am a little bit on the dumbfounded side that he was promoted, but (also) that he is still a police officer,” criminologist Keith Spencer said. “Because when you really catalogue his behaviour, it is totally overwhelmingly negative.”

Neither Wasylyshen nor his lawyer responded to interview requests.

Wasylyshen is the son of former Edmonton police chief Bob Wasylyshen.

Court records show that at about 2:30 a.m. on Dec. 18, 2005, a “heavily intoxicated” Wasylyshen, who was off duty that night, launched an unprovoked attack on Devin Stacey, who was on crutches following knee surgery, as Stacey attempted to hail a cab on Whyte Avenue.

Read More: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/edmonton-police-officer-mike-wasylyshen-promoted-despite-criminal-record-1.2859907