It was an emotional day in court for well-known former Edmonton Police Service (EPS) officer Bill Clark, as he was sentenced for leaking confidential information to the media.
The 66-year-old pleaded guilty to the charge of unauthorized use of a computer.
“I am deeply sorry for what I did,” Clark said on Monday at the Edmonton Law Courts.
The retired officer worked for EPS in a variety of roles over 45 years. At one point, he was a homicide detective known for his candid interviews.
As a staff sergeant he served in the role of watch commander, tasked with being up to speed on the criminal and policing events happening that shift in his division — a role that included updating a confidential, password-protected EPS database with the latest information.
It was revealed in court that during a period of his time with EPS, Clark was sharing confidential information, sometimes word for word, from that database with a Global News journalist.
In other cases, Clark provided photos or videos, including one from a high-profile shooting of a Pizza Hut employee linked to the death of two EPS officers a few days later.
Rich Albert, then 55, was working a second job helping with late-night weekend deliveries at a Pizza Hut To Go in the Westmount area, when he was shot in the head by teenage gunman Roman Shewchuk — with the same firearm used to kill EPS officers Travis Jordan and Brett Ryan four days later.
The suspect in a shooting at a Pizza Hut near 133 Street and 114 Avenue in central Edmonton on Sunday, March 12, 2023.
Edmonton Police Service
According to the agreed statement of facts, Pizza Hut management provided a video of the March 12, 2023 shooting to EPS.
The same day, that video was given to Global News and a censored portion of it was broadcast and shown online.
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The court heard this caused tension between EPS and Pizza Hut management, who lost trust in the police service and, for a time, refused to provide further video.
Pizza Hut was upset the video was in the public and was adamant the leak came from EPS, not from within the company.
The EPS professional standards branch began looking into it on May 5, 2023.
That investigation revealed on the day the video was shared, an internal EPS phone called a Global News journalist and had a seven-minute-long conversation.
Minutes later, EPS media relations was contacted by the journalist about the incident and video.
Clark later admitted he was the one to provide the video, which he received in a text from another EPS officer.
The agreed statement of facts said prior to that day, EPS was concerned fresh investigative information was starting to appear in local news.
Nearly a year after the Pizza Hut shooting, EPS secretly deactivated Clark’s work cellphone, prompting him to trade it in.
Police then searched the phone and found he had been sending photos, videos and tips about numerous other high-profile incidents, including the 2024 Edmonton City Hall shooting, via WhatsApp to Global News.
“This stuff needs to be in the public forum,” Clark said in the messages.
The EPS investigation found many of the messages were benign, dealing with normal conversation, but other messages revealed Clark was sharing confidential information — screenshots and word-for-word information from the database about crimes that had just occurred.
“The bulk of the incidents were fresh, high-profile cases, such as homicides, officer-involved shootings, other shootings, significant car crashes,” the agreed statement of facts said, adding many could be characterized as a “heads up” to allow Global News to get an early start on reporting.
The court heard Clark never received any financial benefit from sending the tips and photos.
Retired Edmonton Police Service Staff Sgt. Bill Clark at a news conference in 2013.
Global News
Clark said he accepts full responsibility for everything he’s done.
“I am ashamed of the way my career ended. I have caused pain and embarrassment to my family, former colleagues and the Edmonton Police Service,” said an emotional Clark in court on Monday.
The Crown sought a one-year suspended sentence. The defence sought a conditional discharge. Justice Shane Parker sided with the defence and said it is a theft charge.
“I truly do see a man who is sincere in his remorse,” Parker said in his decision. He said he would not characterize it as a lapse of judgment, as it happened over years.
The retired EPS officer was given a conditional discharge. His only conditions are to keep the peace and be of good behaviour.
The justice noted that Clark is not leaving his career with any accolades, but rather a badge of shame.
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