Medicine Hat police officers are seen walking downtown in this News file photo.--NEWS FILE PHOTO
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During the first public meeting since May, members of the Medicine Hat Police Commission heard briefly that the city’s police service is projecting a small decrease to its budget by year’s end.
“Currently projecting a slight negative variance at year end, as we do monthly,” said police chief Alan Murphy. “We’ll continue to monitor it and continue to drive that downwards as we can, but that’s where we’re at as it stands right now.”
The Medicine Hat Police Service’s financial details were not shared during the meeting Wednesday in council chambers at city hall but did state that teams have been “extremely busy with numerous complex files for investigation” over the past couple months.
Alberta Association of Police Governance
Board member Gwendoline Dirk attended the province’s annual AAPG meeting held in Calgary on Sept. 14 and reported that Mike Ellis, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services, responded to the association’s concerns about the elimination of public complaints directors.
Ellis first introduced Bill 6 in the legislature in 2022 that overhauled the Police Act and reorganized police misconduct complaint investigations for municipalities and rural areas.
“Given that the role will be eliminated from the act, civilian oversight groups may wish to appoint an appropriate person to an equivalent position if they feel it would benefit their organization’s strategic goals,” said Dirk.
