Detective Jim MacNeil Found Guilty

A disgraced former Edmonton police detective found guilty of obstruction of justice for tampering in his son’s drunk-driving case has avoided being put behind bars.

Jim MacNeil, 51, was given a four-month conditional sentence to be served in the community on Tuesday.

Judge Doreen Sulyma told a packed courtroom MacNeil had “compromised the administration of justice” and said he had a “higher level of blameworthiness” as a result of being a senior officer.

“It was done for a family member. There was no need for this,” she said.

“He could have assisted his son legally. Instead, he chose to hold himself above the rule of law.”

Sulyma also criticized the former detective for trying to put the blame on another office.

She said the falsely blamed officer wrote in a victim impact statement that she her professional reputation had been negatively affected.

Sulyma said mitigating factors were that MacNeil had no prior criminal record; boasted a long, successful career with the Edmonton Police Service; and volunteered in the community.

MacNeil was ordered to take any courses directed by his probation officer and he must abide by a daily 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew for the first month of the sentence.

At the time of MacNeil’s Dec. 1 conviction, Sulyma said she didn’t believe his testimony and ruled he had used his position as a police officer to “improperly” access police information to try to “protect” his son.

“From the beginning, he was using his position for the sole goal of helping his son,” said Sulyma.

She also ruled the actions of the 26-year veteran, who had then been suspended without pay, marked a “serious and marked departure” from the standards of a public officer.

“The actions of the accused were indeed partial and he used his office for a purpose other than the public good.”

According to an agreed statement of facts in the case, Chad MacNeil was arrested for impaired driving by Const. Eleanor McEvoy and Const. Greg Kitura on Feb. 10, 2005.

After MacNeil tried to get a copy of his son’s file on Feb. 17, 2005, police began an internal investigation.

According to the agreed facts, MacNeil admitted he sent a fax to the Driver Fitness and Monitoring Branch on Feb. 22, 2005, requesting his son’s suspension be canceled.

MacNeil also admitted he sent a memo to the Edmonton Police Service's case management unit requesting the suspension be canceled; and accessed CPIC, the national police computer system, to run inquiries concerning his son.

On Nov. 19, MacNeil took the stand in his own defense and admitted to impersonating his son on the phone.