City police looking to speak to, hear from public at BRZ town hall

By Sam Leishman - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on April 9, 2025.

Lethbridge’s police chief is looking forward to a robust discussion during tonight’s town hall meeting.
The Downtown Business Revitalization Zone (BRZ) will be hosting Chief Shahin Mehdizadeh and Sgt. Ryan Darroch at the Southern Alberta Ethnic Association from 5-7 p.m. They will be presenting the most recent crime statistics, explaining what actions the police service has been taking lately and answering questions from the audience.
Mehdizadeh plans to point out in his report that overall crime has been on a steady decline for the last four to five years. He says that’s due to a number of new initiatives, including adding more officers to the Downtown Policing Unit (DPU) and a large sweep last year that targeted outstanding warrants and prolific offenders.
Mehdizadeh also says the number of deaths related to opioid overdoses dropped significantly last year, and narcan deployments are way down among the DPU and The Watch.
“For example, our Watch volunteers and team leaders used narcan 65 times on overdose cases in 2023, and in 2024, that number went down to 16,” he says. “The issue is we still have opioid use, drug use and these activities, but we are seeing significant improvements compared to a few years ago.”
But all that positive news comes with some negative, as well. It’s something that Mehdizadeh says he won’t be shying away from during the town hall.
While Lethbridge will always have to deal with issues regarding homeless encampments, mental health, addiction and crime in some capacity, he’s ready and willing to foster honest dialogue with the community.
“I think it’s important for people to hear that from the Chief and police,” he says. “At the same time, I want to hear from people, as well. If you’re doing a lot in one area and citizens want something different, we have to listen to them and be agile and reactive to what their expectations are, as long as they are realistic.”
Those wanting to attend tonight’s town hall are asked to RSVP through the BRZ website. Admission is free.

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