Sergeant dismissed from Lethbridge Police Service following misconduct investigation

Prior to this, two Constables resigned, and two others were demoted within rank for one year.

BACKGROUND

The LPS said that in 2018, a private group chat comprised of a small number of officers was created in a messaging app. Texts and memes were distributed within the group.

The LPS noted that the messages were offensive and “against LPS policies and values, targeted the LPS Executive, other officers and society in general.” Following the completion of an investigation by an outside agency in December 2020, five officers – one Sergeant and four Constables – were charged with misconduct under the Alberta Police Act and Police Service Regulation. A disciplinary hearing was ordered.

The hearing started in November 2021, and since then, police noted that the following has occurred:

The Sergeant involved pleaded guilty to two counts of discreditable conduct, two counts of neglect of duty and one count of insubordination. He pleaded not guilty to one further count of discreditable conduct and was ultimately acquitted of that count. The Sergeant was issued a global sanction dismissing him from his employment with LPS.
Two Constables pleaded guilty to two counts of discreditable conduct, and one count each of insubordination and neglect of duty. Both individuals were demoted within rank by two grades for one year.
Two Constables resigned prior to entering any pleas, resulting in a loss of jurisdiction.

The Presiding Officer ordered that the memes remain under a sealing order indefinitely, except for Exhibit 11, Tab 9, which could be released for viewing to the subject of the meme.

LPS CHIEF RESPONSE

Chief of the Lethbridge Police Service Shahin Mehdizadeh has issued a statement following Monday’s conclusion of the matter, which can be viewed in full below:

“A disciplinary matter involving a total of five police officers charged with misconducts in relation to their roles in the creation and distribution of profane, abusive and insulting memes, has now been collectively concluded. Earlier today, a Sergeant was dismissed from his employment with the Lethbridge Police Service, and previously two Constables resigned and two others were demoted within rank for one year.

The Lethbridge Police Service is disheartened by the actions of these five officers and the dishonor, embarrassment and erosion of the public’s trust they caused, as well as the harm to our own employees and others who were among those targeted in the memes. I am deeply saddened and sorry the actions of a few have impacted so many. Their behaviour does not reflect the values of our Police Service and our commitment to the community.

From the onset of this incident in August 2018 to the conclusion of the investigative and hearing processes set out in the Alberta Police Act, this matter has been taken extremely seriously and the officers involved have been held accountable at a great personal cost. But the cost to the Service as a whole has been much greater.

We must look forward and continue the work we have already started to repair the significant damage that has been done by these officers internally among our own ranks and culture, and externally with the community.

Our commitment to the public we serve and to our own employees, is to reflect on this matter, what led to these circumstances and the actions taken, and continue to take appropriate steps to ensure we have a safe and respectful workplace for all.

Significant reform, at all levels of the organization, has and continues to take place.

Internally, we have reviewed our policies and procedures to ensure the expectations we have of our employees, specifically related to a respectful workplace, are clearly articulated. We do not condone and will not tolerate any conduct that is offensive, intimidating, harassing or harmful to others and we have procedures in place to investigate and take corrective action to address founded incidents.

We are the first police agency in Canada to implement Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE) training which provides peer intervention strategies and tactics to prevent misconduct, hold peers accountable when inappropriate behaviour is observed and reduce officer mistakes. All sworn officers currently at work have completed ABLE training and those who are on medical or other forms of leave will complete it upon their return. In addition, a civilian ABLE program is currently under development and it is anticipated all of our civilian employees will be trained in 2023.

LPS partnered with Respect Group to provide training that equips employees with the knowledge and skills needed to prevent bullying, abuse, harassment and discrimination in the workplace. All staff have completed RESPECT training.

LPS also engaged in a process to develop our new mission, vision and values. This process was led from the ground up, with the support and oversight of the Lethbridge Police Commission, to empower all of our employees to take ownership, define the principles that guide our work and be the change.

The past few years have been particularly challenging and I am very proud of our employees – sworn officers and civilians – for their steadfast commitment to positive change for the Service, the community and each other in the face of adversity. We are a strong team.”

CG/JG/DO

by Justin Goulet/LethbridgeNewsNOW

Sergeant dismissed from Lethbridge Police Service following misconduct investigation

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