Firing of Edmonton police officer for urinating on another officer upheld

EDMONTON – A review board has upheld the firing of a former army sniper from the Edmonton Police Service for urinating on another officer and other misconduct.

Const. Rob Furlong, a decorated veteran of the war in Afghanistan, was fired last year, but Alberta’s Law Enforcement Review Board ruled the punishment was too harsh.

The Alberta Court of Appeal then sent the case back to the board after Police Chief Rod Knecht argued the decision to dismiss Furlong was reasonable.

In its ruling made public Tuesday, the board said Knecht’s decision to fire Furlong for his misconduct during a night of heavy drinking at a police training event is acceptable.

Furlong, who served with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, was lauded in 2002 for shooting a Taliban fighter at a range of 2.43 kilometres — the longest sniper kill recorded at the time.

He has been suspended from the police service without pay since March 2012.