Hamilton police officer charged with possession of child sexual abuse material has history working with teens

A police officer who has worked 19 years with the Hamilton Police Service has been charged with allegedly possessing and transmitting material that shows child sexual abuse and exploitation.

In a news release Wednesday afternoon, Hamilton police said Const. Dave Hamilton, 43, was charged by Halton police. He has been suspended without pay and is in custody pending a bail hearing in Milton, Ont.  

The officer was arrested and charged on Wednesday, the Halton Regional Police Service said in its own news release.

He lives in Burlington, Ont., and the charges are in relation to offences that allegedly occurred there between Jan. 3 and 4, Halton police said.

Hamilton faces one count of possessing child sexual abuse and exploitation material, and one count of transmitting such material.

Both police services said they will not provide further updates, but asked anyone with related information to contact Det. Sgt. Todd Martin of Halton police. 

The Hamilton Police Association said it would not comment “on the ongoing investigation” but would be assisting “the member navigate the process,” said Jaimi Bannon, president of the police union.

Chiefs can now suspend officers without pay if they’ve been charged with a serious off-duty offence that could also lead to their firing — a new rule that came into effect in 2024 under the Community Safety and Policing Act.

Before that change, officers could only be suspended without pay if they were both convicted of a crime and sentenced to imprisonment.

CBC Hamilton reviewed several publicly available sources that show Hamilton worked with youth.

According to a LinkedIn profile matching Hamilton’s name and image, the officer described himself as having “embraced roles from general uniform patrol to acting sergeant, coaching new recruits, and contributing to the school and youth office.”

Hamilton received an award for his work with youth from charity ProAction Cops and Kids, according to a 2017 annual report by the organization. 

He regularly visited “at-risk” youth at Notre Dame House — a shelter in downtown Hamilton for young people 16 to 21 years of age — in a mentorship role as part of an “altitude challenge program,” the report said.

“PC Hamilton’s impact on the youth has been extremely positive,” said the report. “Youth who previously would never speak to police are now openly and [actively] participating” in his program.

He also previously organized an after-school badminton program for students at Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School in Hamilton, said the organization’s 2016 report.

CBC Hamilton contacted ProAction, Good Shepherd — which manages Notre Dame House — and the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board. They did not immediately respond.