Alberta's police oversight agency is now investigating a serious incident involving an on-duty Calgary police dog that resulted in a teenage girl being transported to hospital over the weekend.
The incident unfolded in the pre-dawn hours on Sunday when Calgary police responded to an alarm activation at Glamorgan School in the southwest area of the city, just before 4:30 a.m. Officers discovered signs of forced entry at the school, including a broken window, prompting them to call for backup and launch a search of the building.
According to a statement from the Police Review Commission, officers announced their presence as they searched the school premises for suspects. During that search, a police dog located and bit a 16-year-old girl inside the building.
Emergency responders were immediately called to the scene. The teenager was transported to Alberta Children's Hospital for treatment of injuries sustained from the dog bite.
Oversight Investigation Underway
The Police Review Commission has directed the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) to conduct a full investigation into the incident. The bite has been classified as a Level 1 incident under Alberta's Police Act — a designation reserved for situations involving serious injury or death, as well as serious or sensitive allegations concerning police conduct.
ASIRT's mandate is to independently investigate incidents involving Alberta law enforcement that result in serious harm or raise significant public concern about police actions.
The investigation remains ongoing, and no further details have been released at this time.
This article is based on reporting from CBC Calgary. For the original coverage, visit CBC News.