Calgary 911 call taker faces several criminal charges after corruption investigation

A City of Calgary employee who worked as a 911 call taker for police faces several criminal charges after a yearlong corruption investigation.

Police say in a news release that officers became aware, during the course of an unrelated investigation, that protected information had been shared for organized crime purposes.

Officers started an investigation in December 2022 before arresting, interviewing and releasing a woman without charge in January 2023.

Police say investigators sought search warrants for the woman’s devices and worked with its digital forensic team to gain access to those devices for the rest of 2023.

They say more than 200 photos of sensitive data were located.

Police allege that the data was intentionally pulled from searches on individuals involved in organized crime and then provided to others involved in that activity.

Investigators don’t believe anyone else in the 911 call centre was aware.

“This level of breach of trust impacts all of us in public service, our officers, the public and the people we engage with every day whose private information is closely guarded,” Insp. Shawn Wallace of the professional standards section, said Thursday in a news release.

“We take allegations such as this very seriously and are thankful to our partners at Calgary 911 for their swift response and co-operation throughout this investigation.”

Mariana Buonincontri, 58, has been charged with breach of trust, fraudulent use of a computer system and mischief related to computer data.

She has been released from custody and is scheduled to appear in court in March.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 25, 2024.