A former Saskatoon police officer who was dismissed in September along with two other officers following an off-duty gathering in his backyard now faces an assault charge. Dylan Kemp was taken into custody, charged, and subsequently released on Thursday, as announced by the Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT). He is set to make a court appearance in Saskatoon provincial court on November 27.
Although SIRT did not publicly disclose the officer’s identity, multiple sources have confirmed to CBC that it is indeed Kemp. The involvement of SIRT stemmed from an internal review initiated by the Saskatoon police into the incident at the gathering last autumn. SIRT specializes in probing cases involving serious injury or death in police custody, actions by police officers resulting in harm, or allegations of sexual assault or interpersonal violence involving law enforcement.
Following a year-long investigation, SIRT concluded that there were reasonable grounds to suspect the commission of an offense, as stated in the news release. The incident in question relates back to an August 28 house party hosted by a member of the elite Emergency Response Team, also known as the tactical team, where Kemp served as the host. Reports indicated that a female junior officer was allegedly physically assaulted by a tactical team member at the party, with the said officer being the complainant in Kemp’s assault case.
Moreover, allegations surfaced that an outlaw motorcycle gang member was an invited guest at the gathering, raising concerns about the integrity of police undercover operations. Saskatoon Police Chief Cameron McBride, in a subsequent press briefing where the dismissal of three officers was announced, reassured the public that no undercover operations were compromised. Nevertheless, the police service revised its conflict of interest policy post-investigation to prohibit officers from associating with individuals considered “undesirable” if such connections pose risks to the officers or the police service. All three dismissed officers are currently appealing their termination.
In a separate development, in May 2025, Kemp and Jason Garland, another officer who was let go in relation to the party, launched a podcast named “The Quiet Fight.” The podcast focuses on candid discussions about the psychological and physical toll of police work on individuals’ identities. While promoting the podcast, they emphasized addressing issues like burnout, trauma, addiction, leadership, and life beyond policing without utilizing professional jargon or superficial content.
Kemp and Garland refrained from identifying themselves as Saskatoon police officers on the show, opting to use only their first names. They initiated the podcast during their suspension and while under investigation, a fact not disclosed during the podcast episodes. Despite declining interview requests after CBC published an article about their podcast, multiple police officers contacted CBC to reveal Kemp and Garland’s suspended status.
The Saskatoon Police Association, representing over 600 members, confirmed Kemp and Garland as association members in May. Presently, “The Quiet Fight” YouTube channel has attracted 254 subscribers, with 19 episodes available on Spotify.