Saul Laliberte (33 years old) passed away while in the custody of the police back in 2021. This death marks the third death of somebody in custody in Prince Albert within the span of a month. After being part of the force for 21 years, a Prince Albert Police Service (PAPS) officer has been held responsible for the passing of 33-year-old Saul Laliberte after negligence characterized by not giving the victim necessities of life while the victim was in custody. The name of the police officer in question has not been publicized by PAPS. It was November 7, 2021 when Saul Laliberte was brought to the PAPS detention area at around 3 PM CST. By 7:30 PM CST, the victim was no longer responsive inside his cell. Laliberte was then brought to a nearby hospital and later declared dead. The Saskatoon Police Service was tasked to look into Laliberte’s passing and later in June 2023 told PAPS that the officer responsible for the death was being charged. PAPS stated that the officer in question is no longer on duty and is currently about to attend a court hearing scheduled on July 25 at Prince Albert Provincial Court. In a news release, interim Police Chief Patrick Nogier stated, “We want to assure the public that we take every matter seriously, and while today’s announcement may raise concerns, we are committed to upholding the integrity of the court process. It is important for us to respect this process while simultaneously supporting our members and thoroughly reviewing our internal policies and protocols.”
