Lethbridge police officer reprimanded for accessing database in connection with Alberta MLA case

The Lethbridge Police Service says it has sanctioned 1 of its officers “by mode of a reprimand” aft an interior probe into a database entree lawsuit involving a erstwhile Alberta furniture minister.

That probe led Shahin Mehdizadeh, the main of Lethbridge’s constabulary department, to find the serviceman blameworthy of discreditable behaviour and insubordination.

The reprimand is to stay connected the officer’s grounds of subject for 3 years, the LPS said successful a quality merchandise issued Monday.

The LPS said it is not making the officer’s sanction public.

“As this is simply a unit matter, the sanction of the serviceman volition not beryllium disclosed,” the LPS said.

The probe stemmed from a constabulary database hunt connected to the reappraisal of a lawsuit involving erstwhile Alberta MLA Shannon Phillips. In 2017, she was astatine a java store and speaking with a constituent astir a projected caller park. Phillips was situation curate astatine the time.

The speech was partially overheard by a Lethbridge constabulary serviceman who was disquieted what helium heard could interaction his pastime: riding connected all-terrain vehicles.

He aboriginal posted images of the java store gathering connected societal media with a caption criticizing Phillips and her NDP government. After Phillips filed a ailment with constabulary astir the matter, the serviceman was aboriginal convicted of 5 counts of violating the Police Act successful transportation with a consequent probe by Alberta’s Law Enforcement Review Board (LERB). The convictions included wrongly subjecting Phillips to a constabulary database search, singling her retired for postulation enforcement, misleading supervisors and utilizing his presumption arsenic an serviceman for governmental reasons.

Another Lethbridge constabulary serviceman was convicted nether the Police Act of being an accessory to the different officer’s offences and failing to study them.

In May, Alberta’s constabulary watchdog said the 2 officers would not look transgression charges successful transportation with its probe into the substance adjacent though investigators believed “there were tenable grounds to judge that 2 officers had committed transgression offences by accessing Ms. Phillips’ data.”

“The investigative materials concerning 2 officers were forwarded to the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service (ACPS) to find whether their trial for prosecution was met,” the Alberta Serious Incident Response squad said successful a missive sent to Phillips’ lawyer astatine the time.

“(The agency) received an sentiment backmost that (the service’s) trial for prosecution was not met and truthful these individuals volition not beryllium charged.”

In its quality merchandise connected Monday, the LPS said its interior probe was conducted “upon the conclusion” of the ASIRT probe.

“Earlier this year, ASIRT exonerated a civilian worker and 3 officers who were named successful Phillips’ archetypal complaint, but noted successful their findings determination were tenable grounds to judge that 2 officers — 1 who is nary longer employed by LPS — whitethorn person committed transgression offences by accessing the data,” the LPS said.

“In June, members of the LPS Professional Standards Unit conducted an interior probe into the behaviour of the serving officer. The probe determined the serviceman had seen posts connected societal media involving the erstwhile MLA and accessed a record containing her accusation to find if determination had been immoderate misconduct by LPS unit related to the posts. After uncovering nary grounds to link immoderate employees to the posts, determination was nary further enactment taken by the officer.”

Mehdizadeh noted the reasons for the hunt did not excuse oregon warrant the conduct, and that the hunt was not “in compliance with argumentation oregon morganatic acquisition from a superior serviceman successful conducting the database inquiry.”

“The chief’s determination was based connected grounds gathered by the Professional Standards Unit, including a connection by the officer,” the LPS said. “This accusation was not disposable to ASIRT oregon considered successful their findings, arsenic the serviceman was not required to supply a connection to ASIRT investigators and chose to workout that right.”

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The LPS noted that determination is nary process to entreaty Mehdizadeh’s decision.

“With the objection of a civilian suit that remains earlier the court, the complaints by erstwhile MLA Phillips against the LPS are present concluded,” the LPS said.

“LPS has nary further remark and determination volition beryllium nary media availability successful narration to immoderate of the Phillips’ matters.”

Global News reached retired to Phillips for a effect to Monday’s improvement but she said she would not beryllium commenting astatine this time. In June, she announced she was quitting her vocation arsenic a politician successful portion due to the fact that of what she described arsenic a “coarsening of governmental sermon successful nationalist life.”

The Lethbridge Police Association issued a connection connected Monday successful effect to Mehdizadeh’s determination to authorisation an officer.

“With the ASIRT probe concluded, the main of constabulary directed the Professional Standards Unit to resume its probe into immoderate imaginable misconduct for the lone remaining constabulary serviceman taxable to the Police Service Regulations,” the LPA’s connection work successful part. “As a result, and for the archetypal time, grounds by mode of the officer’s explanatory connection was made disposable for consideration.

“In possession of this accusation the main was capable to firmly found the details down the database entree successful question and the actions constituted lone a insignificant contravention of the Police Service Regulation nether conception 19(1)(b) of that legislation. The serviceman has been sanctioned with a reprimand and the substance is concluded.”

The LPA connection besides raised concerns astir different radical moving astatine LPS being “accused of conducting amerciable enactment and this, on with their names, was reported wide anterior to immoderate probe oregon findings of fact.”

“Most were exonerated aboriginal by ASIRT and for those who weren’t instantly cleared the ACPS did not place criminality oregon enactment charges.

“We sat softly retired of respect for the process and successful bid for the afloat facts to beryllium established, ne'er reasoning it mightiness instrumentality 7 years for that to happen. Now the facts person been established and, successful the end, 3 officers person been held accountable for misconduct related to 2 circumstantial and isolated incidents six and 7 years ago. Two of those officers are nary longer members of the Lethbridge constabulary and the 3rd has conscionable been held accountable with the lone blemish of a insignificant misconduct connected an impeccable career.”

–with files from The Canadian Press