No charges: Alberta Sheriffs officer created AI sexual images before it was a crime, ASIRT says
Posted Sep 2, 2026 3:21 pm.
An Alberta Sheriffs peace officer will not face charges after the province’s police watchdog found that AI‑generated sexual images found on his phone were created before Canada had laws covering that type of material.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) says it was asked in June 2026 to investigate after sexualized, computer‑generated images of three women, including coworkers, were discovered on the officer’s personal phone.
According to ASIRT, the images appeared to be made with an app that turns regular social‑media photos into fabricated intimate pictures. All three women confirmed the images were fake.
The officer admitted he created the images but said he never shared or distributed them. ASIRT says it found no evidence he posted, sent, or threatened to publish them.
Investigators focused on whether a criminal offence existed.
At the time the images were created and discovered, Canadian law did not yet cover AI‑generated intimate imagery. Ottawa expanded the definition of intimate images and added new offences later in 2026, but those changes cannot be applied retroactively.
Because the older law applied, ASIRT concluded no criminal offence occurred.
The watchdog called the officer’s behaviour serious and harmful to the women involved, but said any consequences must come through Alberta Sheriffs’ internal code‑of‑conduct process rather than the criminal justice system.
In a statement to CityNews, the ministry of Public Safety and Emergency Services, which the Alberta Sheriffs reports to, says the employee in question has been removed from active duty.
The ministry says the Alberta Sheriffs are conducting an internal investigation and they won’t be commenting further at this time.
