Officers cleared after Alberta man found dead in RCMP holding cell hours after he collapsed

The fellowship of a 30-year-old adult male whose dying in an RCMP holding cadre in northern Alberta went unexplored for hours are calling for an independent review after the arresting officers were cleared of wrongdoing. 

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team released its investigation Wednesday into the 2022 arrest and overdose death of Addison Hartzler, who died at the Grande Prairie RCMP detachment hours after he dialled 911 for help. 

The ASIRT investigation determined Hartzler collapsed on the floor of his cell at 8:19 a.m. and remained lying face down until after 11 a.m. when he was declared dead.

Hartzler, who officers suspected was intoxicated on drugs, had collapsed on the floor after striking his head repeatedly on the wall of his cell. 

Hartzler's family are calling on the provincial government to review the findings of the police watchdog investigation and the Crown's decision not to pursue a criminal case. 

The Justice Ministry has not responded to requests for comment.

In his investigation ASIRT's Executive Director Matthew Block determined that Hartzler was inadequately monitored in his holding cell. 

An autopsy determined that Hartzler died of a cocaine overdose which triggered cardiac arrest, but could not say for certain if immediate medical intervention could have saved his life, Block wrote. 

"It is not clear that [he] could have been saved even if a check had been done immediately after he had collapsed," the report reads. 

"The evidence therefore does not establish that there is a connection between the long period of inadequate checks and the [man's] death."

Hartzler's interaction with police began on the night of June 3, 2022, after he dialled 911 to report a break-in at his home in Grande Prairie, 460 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.

According to the report, at around 1:42 a.m., he called RCMP to report that people with guns and dogs were breaking into his residence. 

Police arrived to find Hartzler disoriented and struggling to communicate. He could not provide officers his name. 

After canvassing the house, RCMP deemed there had been no break-in and that Hartzler was high on cocaine and hallucinating. 

Hartzler, who officers described as confused but compliant, was handcuffed and arrested for public mischief. 

He was placed in a holding cell at approximately 2:25 a.m. and began pacing around the small room. 

At 8:19 a.m., he hit his head on the cell door frame several times and then collapsed.

He remained prone on the floor, motionless and face-down. 

His death was not discovered until 11:03 a.m. when an officer entered this cell, turned him over, and found blood on his face and the floor. 

He was declared dead by paramedics at 11:17 a.m.

The investigation found that a guard had conducted checks from 4:11 a.m. until 11:12 a.m., and noted that Hartzler was lying face down from 8:33 a.m. Onward.

The guard told investigators that he thought Hartzler had fallen asleep and did not attempt to rouse him. He could not confirm, however, that he was breathing from the window of the cell door.

The report found that RCMP's Guard Training Policy dictates that persons in cells must be checked every 15 minutes; be monitored at all times for responsiveness; and be awakened once every four hours if intoxicated.

An autopsy determined that he likely died sometime between 8:20 a.m. And 8:31 a.m., soon after he collapsed. 

ASIRT referred the case to ACPS for an opinion on whether charges should be laid.

The Crown declined to pursue charges but recommended the officers involved undergo additional training on the frequency of checks required for prisoners who appear to be sleeping in their cells. 

Prosecutors also recommended police receive further training on arrest and detention saying that police "must be able to clearly articulate the reasons for a person's detention and those reasons must be lawful."

The report states there were issues with the subject officers' reasons for arresting Hartzler.

The officers provided "inconsistent" reasons for the arrest, including public mischief, to prevent him from making further false calls, for his own safety due to intoxication, and to identify him. 

"Despite the issue with care of the man received in police cells, there are no reasonable grounds to believe that an offence was committed," said the report.

He said the report makes it clear that Hartzler was experiencing a medical episode on the night of his arrest and that he was detained without cause and without appropriate medical care. 

He alleges that medical negligence contributed to his son's death and that no one will be held accountable is incomprehensible. 

"We cannot comprehend how not providing him care that was clearly needed and expected by RCMP policy does not meet the standard for failing to provide the necessaries of life," he said.

"To suggest that no one is accountable is unacceptable."

He said the family has raised their concerns to ASIRT, ACPS and Alberta Justice and are calling for an independent review to explore whether the lack of medical intervention contributed to his death.

He said the investigation highlights a lack of police accountability and the lack of transparency over decisions made by the Crown's office when not pursuing charges.

He is urging Alberta Justice Minister Mickey Amery to launch an independent review of the case and calling for legislative changes that would ensure medical intervention is provided to prisoners in need.

"How many people have to die in police custody before changes are made," Gregory Hartzler said.

Reporter

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