LPS address multiple issues in community conversation

By Chris Hibbard - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on November 14, 2023.

A few dozen citizens were in attendance on last week to engage with Lethbridge Police Services in the fourth and final Community Conversation for this year. The conversation, which took place at St. Patrick Fine Arts Elementary School on the west side, was an interesting and enlightening peek inside the workings of our city’s police agency.
In attendance was Lethbridge Police Chief Shahin Mehdizadeh, Deputy Chief of Police Gerald Grobeneier, Inspector Jason Dobirstein, Chief Inspector Russ Lawrence and Acting Inspector Kristy Woods.
Each of these LPS members were able to discuss the current state of affairs in Lethbridge, and each had their own unique background.
Also in attendance was Dawna Coslovi, acting Chair of the Lethbridge Police Commission. The Commission helps LPS with regard to strategic planning, budgetary allotments and oversight.
The two-hour Conversation began with a short presentation from Chief Mehdizadeh, and was followed by a lengthy question and answer period.
The audience heard that Lethbridge Police Service is currently working with a budget of approximately $42 million. The vast majority of this funding goes to pay the salaries of 188 officers, 15 Peace Officers, and 101 civilian employees. Twenty of the officer positions are yet to be filled, but there is money in the budget to hire them.
At any given moment, 16 LPS officers are working throughout our city, dispersed over four regional zones. One of the inspectors at the conversation referred the LPS agency as “most likely the smallest police organization in Canada.”
Chief Mehdizadeh talked about the city’s current policing landscape, which includes topics such as the drug crisis, social disorder, a lack of supports for vulnerable people, challenges in keeping up with fast-changing technology, and an increase in protests and public demonstrations.
Attendees heard it takes approximately two years to “make a new officer,” from vetting to hiring, training and partnering, and eventually having a new officer who can work solo, with “boots on the ground.” It was emphasized several times throughout the evening that LPS is looking for new officers, and are “always looking for good people, from all walks of life.”
A few statistics were provided by means of visual graphs specific to crime in west Lethbridge.
The “West Beat” as it was described, showed that 15 per cent of crime in Lethbridge occurs on the other side of the river — the lowest crime rate in the city. Of this 15 per cent, 59 per cent were deemed crimes against persons, 16 per cent theft, 17 per cent designated as Other, and a small remainder including Robbery and Sexual Assault.
It was specifically noted that in the vast majority of these crimes against persons, the parties involved in the crimes were known to each other. When it comes to property crime on the westside, 20 per cent was theft, 18 per cent theft from a motor vehicle, 20 per cent mischief, 16 per cent fraud, 11 per cent break and enter with the small remainder including theft Of a motor vehicle, possession of stolen goods and shoplifting.
In terms of Lethbridge as a city at whole, “overall crime in Lethbridge is trending down with decreases recorded over the past three years.
In 2022, the Lethbridge crime rate decreased by eight per cent and the majority of crimes occurred downtown, the audience heard.
In 2023, thefts of vehicles, fraud and property crimes are the main crimes in Lethbridge, with most of these being considered “crimes of opportunity.”
Citizens were told that drug-related crime saw a significant jump from 2017-2018, with a gradual incline from that point until 2022, with a “significant downward trend” since July of 2023. On the westside specifically, most drug charges laid were for possession.
“It is important to keep in mind that the challenges we are facing in Lethbridge are not unique to our city. They are the same challenges faced by police forces everyday across Canada,” said he police chief.
The audience heard that bicycles other stolen property are used by some as ‘currency’ in getting drugs and other items with people being urged to register their bikes online so they can be returned to rightful owners if recovered.
The audience was also told police are removing drugs from Lethbridge streets on a daily basis. They target lower level dealers and will try to track the activity all the way up the chain to what may be called organized crime.

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