A veteran police officer with 19 years of service at the Hamilton Police Service has been arrested and charged by Halton police for allegedly possessing and sharing child sexual abuse and exploitation material. Constable Dave Hamilton, 43, has been suspended without pay and is currently in custody awaiting a bail hearing in Milton, Ontario.
The charges against Hamilton stem from incidents that reportedly took place in Burlington, Ontario, between January 3 and 4. He faces one count of possession of child sexual abuse material and one count of its transmission. Both police departments involved have stated that there will be no further updates on the case, urging anyone with relevant information to contact Detective Sergeant Todd Martin of the Halton police.
Regarding the suspension without pay, the Hamilton Police Association declined to provide specific comments on the ongoing investigation but assured assistance to the officer through the process. This move was made possible by a new rule under the Community Safety and Policing Act, effective 2024, allowing chiefs to suspend officers without pay if charged with a serious off-duty offense that could result in termination, as opposed to the previous requirement of conviction and imprisonment.
Public records show that Hamilton had significant involvement with youth, including roles in general patrol, mentoring new recruits, and contributing to youth programs and initiatives. He was recognized for his youth work by the charity ProAction Cops and Kids in their 2017 annual report. Hamilton was involved in mentoring at-risk youth at Notre Dame House, a shelter in downtown Hamilton, and organized extracurricular activities like a badminton program at a local high school.
Efforts to obtain comments from ProAction, the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board, and Good Shepherd, which oversees Notre Dame House, were not immediately successful due to the ongoing police investigation.