Officer charged with interfering in impaired driving investigation
Calgary police have charged one of their own with interfering with an investigation of a potentially impaired driver.
Nine-year CPS veteran Mark McCullough, 44, was arrested and charged Wednesday with breach of trust and obstruction of justice stemming from a Nov. 11, 2015, impaired-driving call, said Supt. Cliff O’Brien.
McCullough was on patrol when he was dispatched to reports of a woman apparently passed out behind the wheel of a running vehicle in the 300 block of Cranston Road S.E.
“At which point, it’s believed that he cancelled the request for breath technicians,” O’Brien said.
“It is also alleged that the officer requested that dispatch recode the call to a suspended driver, despite signs of impairment being present.” He said McCullough then gave the woman a ride home, adding that “no investigation was completed.”
While O’Brien said investigators believe McCullough and the woman, an employee of a shop located in his patrol area, knew each other, he wasn’t able to elaborate on the extent of their relationship.
McCullough was charged following a months-long investigation initiated by the anti-corruption unit in November, 2016.
Once the investigation was complete, CPS consulted with the Edmonton Crown Prosecutor’s office, which recommended charges against McCullough.
McCullough is currently suspended with pay on another matter — one O’Brien described as a criminal matter that occurred while off-duty.
Postmedia has learned McCullough is scheduled to stand trial Sept. 6 for three charges of domestic assault.
The first alleged assault took place Nov. 11, 2016, and the other two were Nov. 20.
Conditions of his bail include no possession or consumption of alcohol and no contact with the victim, and he’s prohibited from possessing weapons, firearms and explosives.
Lawyer Cory Wilson, who represents McCullough on the assault charges, said his client “looks forward to proving his innocence in the upcoming trial.”
A professional standards section investigation will be launched at the conclusion of the criminal process.
O’Brien said allegations such as these affect every CPS employee, both sworn and civilian, who work hard every day to serve the community with distinction.
“When one of us fails to do so, it impacts us,” he said.