lethbridge police deputy chief

It has been broken, and when law enforcement does not enjoy public trust then you have a public safety problem.” Phillips was recently awarded complainant status in the unauthorized surveillance case by the Law Enforcement Review Board after she was initially cut completely out of the disciplinary process for the officers despite being the target of the surveillance. LPS chief asks public not to judge force - Lethbridge Herald Any Alberta Health Services employee who uses the AHS process to ‘snoop’ on patients, does so at their employment peril. This behavior by the ‘police’, supposedly without an organized, planned surveillance without a search warrant, is an atrocious reminder of the characteristics of a police state. The Lethbridge Police Commission is a statutory body created under the Alberta Police Act to oversee the Lethbridge Police Service. LETHBRIDGE – The Lethbridge Police Service is promoting from within to fill the position of deputy chief. “I think they, (the LPS), need to take this latest round of stories about their competence and credibility very seriously,” Phillips stated. That is why I am making sure there is accountability here.” The Herald reached out to the Lethbridge Police Service for comment on these latest revelations, and in particular the involvement of Deputy Chief Scott Woods in them. And they didn’t uphold that duty. There is also the thing with a female AB NDP politician holding a position of power, which has been the brunt of violent, including violent sexual threats, and even death threats. Criminal code down to local by-laws with a lot of ground in between. Chief Scott Woods publicly criticized anonymous complainers who speak with media. Time will tell. Though the comments made to cbc by our chief doesn’t give me much hope. Field Operations Section. Administrative Services . These investigations being held behind closed doors with only summaries being released (if we’re lucky) does not inspire confidence in the checks and balances of our officers. All of this has had a tremendously corrosive effect on people’s willingness to engage in the democratic process, whether that is through elected office or for involvement in civil society. Scott Woods, Chief of Police November 26, 2019. By Lethbridge Herald on March 8, 2021. Tim Kalinowski Lethbridge Herald tkalinowski@lethbridgeherald.com Lethbridge law enforcement officers are once again getting damaging national scrutiny after ASIRT revealed last month it was investigating five LPS officers, including Deputy Chief Scott Woods, and one LPS civilian employee, who accessed Lethbridge West MLA Shannon Phillips personal records eight times over an 11-month period for no apparent police purpose. “Quite frankly, they have a lot of work to do to repair public trust here. The Lethbridge Police Force was established in 1902 with a staff of two constables and served a population of about 2,000. Not only that, several members of the Police Comission no longer wanted to be on that committee. “That I can confirm,” she said in response to local reporters’ questions about Woods. The investigation has been dubbed internally as "MemeGate," according to sources with knowledge of the situation. Chief of Police . Would love your thoughts, please comment. Someone from high up (Scott Woods perhaps? … Lethbridge's interim police Chief Scott Woods is sharing his thoughts on the civil unrest and protests in the United States due to racism in law enforcement. Phillips confirmed Woods’ involvement in media interviews conducted on Monday after further details of the allegations came to light during a CBC National News story which aired this weekend. Honour Guard. Information Technology . This of course, is oversimplified, my point is individual members, or like-minded groups of members do not, on their own, get to decide how to use the resources made available to them. They do call it the blue line for a reason after all. Five police officers in Lethbridge, Alta., — including one who was already disciplined for spying on a local cabinet minister — have been suspended with pay as part of an investigation into the circulation of inappropriate images, according to an email obtained by CBC News. I was never told. We should demote or fire several of these cops.. that would lead to less arrests and our City would no longer lead the nation in reported crime! There’s likely a lot more to this story than is being reported by a biased news source. Read more: Lethbridge police chief addresses Monday’s surprise resignation . “I think the people of Lethbridge are getting pretty darn tired of these kinds of stories coming out of LPS. Lethbridge Police Commission May 29, 2019 – Open Meeting Page 1 of 3 Lethbridge Police Commission OPEN LETHBRIDGE POLICE COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Wednesday, May 29, 2019 City of Lethbridge Council Chambers 6:00 p.m. Lethbridge Police Service Deputy Chief Scott Woods speaks with reporters outside the police station in this file photo. Especially to forward a personal or political agenda. Woods will return to his former role as the deputy chief. Scott Woods, most recently Staff Sergeant responsible for the criminal investigation section, began his new job on Wednesday (June 7). Alberta's justice minister has given the police chief in Lethbridge a three-week deadline to produce a plan to shape up the force or see it be dissolved under an "extraordinary" step by the government, according to letters exclusively obtained by CBC News. Woods was named the Interim Chief of Police in October. The Commission has the following responsibilities: Appointing the Chief of Police and evaluating their performance I'm gonna take this opportunity to tell you a little bit about Deputy Woods and his service. ... Lethbridge Police Service Organizational Chart. First off, the findings of the investigation has to be made public. “…did not occur… sheer fiction…no evidence. leaders, the Lethbridge Police Association, CUPE, other levels of policing, government, interest groups, social service providers, communityorganizations and the public. Moulton’s complaint was recently presented so publicly in the news media, to a peculiar degree and at a peculiar time, it seemed important to provide this information now, to balance and even correct the record. Scott Wood join Lethbridge Police Service in 1997 He begins to troll officers over the years. Herald photo by Ian Martens. It should be the same for members of the police force who use their powers to ‘snoop.’ The ‘snoopers’ should all lose their jobs. Jason Moulton. Chief of police Deputy chief of police Staff superintendent Superintendent Staff inspector (not currently in use) Inspector Staff sergeant Sergeant Senior police constable Police constable first class Police constable second class Police constable third class Police constable fourth class Police … Should long-term care facilities be shielded from litigation under Alberta's Bill 70? Alberta’s justice minister says the chief of Lethrbridge’s police force has three weeks to lay out a plan to make major changes or risk being dissolved following multiple scandals, some of which involve a former cabinet minister. “Hopefully, with the dismissal of this complaint, the Lethbridge Police Service will be allowed to move forward in our efforts to cultivate bias-free policing in our community, without the distraction of groundless complaints against its leadership. I would go even further, maybe we need an outside investigation of how our police service operates and not by another police agency. what all sides – phillips has not been accused of abusing her power and position, nor of any law breaking, unlike those now under investigation. “There was a record in there of a complaint that was made of something that happened at a pub in 2016 of which I had no awareness,” she explained. Phillips is not squeaky clean here either, which is why she is fighting it so desperately. Herald photo by Ian Martens. “That is up to the LPS,” she stated. gs172, sb, and sa, thank you for hitting this on the head. Woods was named the Interim Chief of Police in October. Deputy Chief. Alberta Newspapers reached out to the Lethbridge Police Service for comment on these latest revelations, and in particular the involvement of Deputy Chief Scott Woods in them. Last week, Lethbridge police Chief Shahin Mehdizadeh sent an all-staff email announcing the suspensions. It’s no wonder lawyers tell their clients to be careful what one says to the police. Lethbridge, Alta., Police Chief Shahin Mehdizadeh has suspended five employees as part of an investigation into inappropriate memes. The Lethbridge Police Service, just as all police services, have a duty to warn. A police force is funded by public money; it’s mandate it determined by process. Division. 504 - 7th Street South Lethbridge, AB T1J 3Z7. In an interview with The Lethbridge Herald on Wednesday, Lethbridge Police Commission chair Simon Griffiths acknowledged receipt of the Alberta Law … Section 8 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms seems to indicate that this is required by the police to do surveillance. Lethbridge Police Service Chief of Police Scott Woods released a statement Thursday regarding the Lethbridge Police Commission’s dismissal of complaint made by Sgt. Then there is the police Commission for metrics, policies and public oversight. Or someone in the UCP?) "As of today, five employees have been relieved of their duties," wrote Mehdizadeh. Shahin Mehdizadeh sworn in as chief of Lethbridge police Newly sworn in Lethbridge Police Chief Shahin Mehdizadeh salutes Deputy Chief Scott Woods during a Change of … This is a betrayal of the public trust at its highest level. “The dismissal of a complaint like this does not normally warrant a news release. https://www.lethbridge.ca/NewsCentre/Pages/Appointment-Police-Chief.aspx That is regrettable. In the course of those investigations, the following language was used to describe Sgt. https://globalnews.ca/news/7123032/lethbridge-police-service-new-chief-2020 “Four and a half years later, I am opening up this file for the first time, and I see someone complained they had reasonable grounds that had been given a drink that had a drug in it, and they had reasonable grounds to believe that drink had been intended for me … I am listed as a complainant in that police file. Does this sort of surveillance require a search warrant? That revelation was shocking to me. I don’t think having a difference of political opinion meets the threshold of “not squeaky clean”. Working collaboratively for the common good of the City of Lethbridge, the Chief will be approachable and engaged in the community, Five Lethbridge, Alta., police officers have been suspended with pay as part of an investigation into the circulation of inappropriate images, according to an email obtained by CBC News. March 24, 2021-CBC. “We live in a free and democratic society. Woods will return to his former role as the deputy chief. Jason Moulton,” said Woods. While undertaking her FOIP request about LPS record check, Phillips discovered police had opened a file on an incident from 2016 of which she was not aware. A related complaint made against me by Sgt. Lethbridge Police Service Deputy Chief Scott Woods speaks with reporters outside the police station in this file photo. However, I am not terribly surprised at this outcome. Lets see some real investigative journalism and rout out the whole story, not just the police bashing. Former chief Rob Davis resigned from the Lethbridge Police Service in July of 2019, and the position was passed on to then-Deputy Chief Scott Woods. Meghan Grant. She said this experience, and the 2017 unauthorized surveillance incident, have eroded her trust and confidence in the Lethbridge Police Service. Mehdizadeh was sworn in as Chief of the Lethbridge Police Service during a ceremony earlier today at Nikko Yuko Japanese Garden. Inspector Field Operations Division. https://globalnews.ca/news/7309199/chief-mehdizadeh-lethbridge-police-service In Attendance Peter Deys, Chair Simon Griffiths, Vice‐Chair Councillor Jeff Coffman Will ASIRT find evidence of a planned-ahead, organized surveillance of the Minister? do you actually relish the police state and fascism, as your entries to this matter would suggest? They cared so little about my personal safety, they didn’t even pick up the phone.” Phillips said what is particularly disturbing is more than one officer accessed this very personal record on different occasions, and gave no police reason for doing so. “And there was no law enforcement purpose listed.” Phillips was asked if the flurry of searches in 2018 may have been related to the investigation of two officers, Jason Carrier and Keon Woronuk, who conducted an unauthorized surveillance of her in 2017. “For as long as I continue to serve with the Lethbridge Police Service, it will be my pledge and privilege to support those officers in providing the policing that all of Lethbridge deserves.”, 504 - 7th Street South Lethbridge, AB T1J 3Z7. Lethbridge’s interim chief of police is speaking out following the dismissal of a complaint lodged against him by an officer in 2019.The complaint, filed by current Lethbridge Police Service member Sgt. Former chief Rob Davis resigned from the Lethbridge Police Service in July of 2019, and the position was passed on to then-Deputy Chief Scott Woods. “I am gratified at the recent dismissal by the Lethbridge Police Commission of the last remaining complaint filed against me by Sgt. He replaces Chief Robert A. Davis, who resigned last fall to take a new position in Ontario. “I want people to have no hesitation to do that because they are afraid of police intimidation and surveillance, or any of those things,” she added. Scott Woods has served as Interim Chief since Davis’ departure and will now resume his position as Deputy Chief of Police. Executive Assistant . However, because Sgt. As I stated today, we'll take out today from deputy Chief Scott Woods, who's been serving as intern chief since September 28, 2019. it is scary that there are those that are quite fine with police state fascism, just so long as it supports their warped, narrow, distasteful, self serving world view. In 2009, the police service employed 155 officers, 47 civilian staff and over 40 … I genuinely hope they don’t find anything out of order. But to have 7 of our officers and 1 civilian act this way over such a minimal thing what would they do in a situation that mattered and could effect someone’s life and freedom. Thomas "the Just" Lewis was appointed the chief of police. “It’s not up to me to provide a reason why my records were accessed for no law enforcement purpose — that’s up to them. It is not the first time Phillips was listed as a complainant by the LPS in an investigation and simply not informed — in this case potentially jeopardizing her safety. Follow @TimKalHerald on Twitter. In the last couple years, both our police chief and our city manager have resigned. ” I am pleased that the Commission found the complaint to have been frivolous and further lacking in any basis for a referral to the Minister of Justice for investigation. more concerning is your readiness to overlook what appears to be an utterly disgraceful trampling on privacy and abuse of power and position. Even if you are the most hard-core anti NDP or anti environmentalist, you should have a massive problem with this. If I’m wrong, I’d like to know more. I hope I’m not in the minority thinking that this behavior by our officers is unacceptable and they must be held accountable. What is disturbing about this whole thing, is that there is a nastiness about assuming that one can behave any which way that is wanted, with impunity, for, particularly, ultra right wing partisan reasons. Should long-term care facilities be shielded from litigation under Alberta's Bill 70? what is the basis of your accusation that phillips “is not squeaky clean”? what might you suggest the “airing of all sides” entails, grilling her about what she was wearing? “The Lethbridge Police Service is unable to provide comment on the matter as it is part of an ongoing investigation by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team,” read the emailed response from the LPS. Exactly…could not be said better. had to have been behind this… I doubt 6 different people secretly searched a certain person without some kind of collaboration. This commitment is important, not only to hold accountable the few officers who may fail, but also to uphold the honour and integrity of the vast majority of officers, who want to serve the community with diligence, respect and fairness. Her only “crime” in certain officers’ minds seems to be having the wrong politics, she said. Moulton’s allegations. 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