Police chief Alan Murphy will continue to lead the force until the end of 2031 after he accepted a new contract from the Medicine Hat Police Commision.--FILE PHOTO
bmiller@medicinehatnews.com
Medicine Hat police officers were praised during a police commission meeting Tuesday for their professionalism and use of a single “less lethal” projectile round to subdue a suspect armed with a knife and an axe who refused to comply with responding officers.
During the afternoon of Sept. 16 police received a report of a male being chased by another male armed with a knife and axe in the 800 block of 14th Street NE.
While responding officers were speaking with the complainant, the suspect, armed with both weapons, approached police and the complainant in an aggressive manner.
Despite multiple commands to drop his weapons, the suspect refused to comply and continued in his aggressive manner toward police.
Reacting quickly, an officer deployed a single less lethal projectile round at the suspect, which successfully prevented him from advancing further and police were able to arrest the suspect without further incident.
“This incident highlights the extreme skill and patience that these officers demonstrated in handling this matter,” said Insp. Jason Graham. “I think it’s safe to say it could have ended much differently under these circumstances.”
The suspect was assessed by EMS and found to suffer minor injuries due to the less lethal ammunition being deployed.
The investigation determined the accused and victim are known to each other and this was not a random attack.
The suspect, a 45-year-old man from Lethbridge, was charged with carrying a concealed weapon, possession of stolen identity documents, disobeying court orders and three counts of failure to comply with a release order.
Graham also highlighted the “great work” of the downtown patrol section following the arrest of a comic book thief.
Last month police responded to a break and enter where the front window was smashed and a large number of comic books were stolen.
The suspect was identified on CCTV footage and was arrested later on for an unrelated matter.
A subsequent search led to the recovery of 81 stolen comic books.
“I want to highlight this as well, because again it’s highlighting the positive, great work our downtown patrol unit continues to do on a day-to-day basis,” said Graham.
A 46-year-old man was charged with break and enter, theft and possession of stolen property and was remanded into custody.
Police chief accepts contract extension
Medicine Hat’s top cop, Alan Murphy, will continue to lead the Medicine Hat Police Service as chief until the end of 2031 after he accepted a new contract offer.
The announcement was made public at the tail end of the police commission meeting Tuesday evening.
“The commission took a careful and thoughtful approach in reviewing chief Murphy’s contract,” said Paul Carolan, commission chair. “We believe his leadership has been instrumental in strengthening the relationship between the police service and our community.”
Murphy was appointed chief of police in 2022 and has been focused on enhancing community partnerships by developing a new police training partnership with Medicine Hat College and supporting a new First Responder Academy with the Medicine Hat Catholic Board of Education.
Murphy has also prioritized modernizing the police service’s equipment and training.
“Leading the MHPS and working with our community for the past three years has been extremely rewarding,” said Murphy. “I am grateful for the dedication of our MHPS staff and the continued support of the police commission. I look forward to continuing to serve the citizens of Medicine Hat.”
Insp. Joe West was also recognized for his 30 years of service as a police officer during the commission meeting.
