Police grads ready to serve community

By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman - Lethbridge Herald on December 24, 2024.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDapulido@lethbridgeherald.com

The Lethbridge Police Service welcomed 13 new officers Friday during the Lethbridge police cadet graduation at Lethbridge Polytechnic. Blood Tribe Police also welcomed three new officers and the Canadian National Railway Police Service welcomed two new officers.
“We are so proud of this program and these cadets that graduated today,” says Trudi Mason, Dean for the Centre for Justice and Human Services. “They worked extremely hard.”
 She says the program is unique in that it’s the only one in the province that grants a post-secondary credential through police training, and it is important to continue offering it to future cadets.
 “It’s not only the training that they’ll get with the police service, but they also get that post-secondary credential that allows them to continue in their education when they’re ready. And because we offer fully online programs, they can continue to work.”
In order to enhance education for future cadets, Lethbridge Polytechnic has introduced a new prior learning credit agreement with seven police services across Western Canada. The agreement allows graduates to receive 42 credits toward a Criminal Justice – Policing diploma, retroactive to 2017.
Catherine Rigaux, chair for the School of Public Safety in the Centre for Justice and Human Services at Lethbridge Polytechnic, says the program also has a memorandum of understanding with Calgary Police Service.
“We reviewed their recruit training program and came up with a similar arrangement, where officers who’ve completed basic training with Calgary Police Service receive automatic number of credits towards our policing diploma here at the Polytechnic,” says Rigaux.
LPS Chief Shahin Mehdizadeh says he’s excited to add 13 new officers to his LPS family, adding they will have plenty of work when they report for duty.
“This is much needed resource that we need to serve the community, so we are welcoming them to our family,” he says. “And I’m proud to say that come January, we’re starting our next class with eight cadets.”
 LPS is already hiring for its September 2025 class and Mehdizadeh hopes those interested in joining the Lethbridge Police Service sign up for it.
“These officers are younger, eager, they just want to serve their community,” he says. “And they’ve got the proper training, not just on the physical and techniques, a lot of our training also goes about humility, service and what they can do for the community.”

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