Justice minister needs to cool it on threats
By Letter to the Editor on April 10, 2021.
Editor:
To Kaycee Madu re: “Justice Minister Kaycee Madu says he is prepared to follow through on a threat to disband the Lethbridge police if changes are not made.”
I suggest that such threatening remarks, especially from a Minister of Justice, are not acceptable.
Last year, as Minister of Justice you made some harsh and irregular remarks about the RCMP that were not aeptable to me and that annoyed many active and retired RCMP members and yes, man y other Albertans as well.
Now you threaten to disband the entire Lethbridge city police force with some sort of violation(s) or non-compliance in section 30 of the Alberta Police Act.
As one who has been involved in municipl politics for some years (editor’s note: 18 years as Calgary alderman and six years as member of the Calgary Police Commission) and one who has worked with many provincial and federal ministers, I have only one suggestion for you and that is “cool it!”
John Schmal
Calgary
-1
You have your opinion and you’re entitled to it, but you don’t live here and have no idea what the police force has done here to lose the trust of the community. Although you said you were on the Calgary police commision for 6 years, so maybe you do. The CBC documentary was very enlightening on what Calgary is dealing with. What has been reported in the news is the tip of the iceberg in the contempt and misconduct the force has shown to some members of the community.
Police chief Mehdizadeh has been here for just over 6 months and he has inherited quite frankly a mess. Change and accountability has been glacially slow and maybe this is the kick in the backside that is needed. Covering up and condoning improper acts of your fellow officers make you complicit as well. The bungling of the 1st and 2nd investigation of the Phillips matter makes that crystal clear.
excellent entry, gs. the writer is hard to trust, as we know that the oversight of police is illusory: accountability is minimal to zilch; police are rarely found guilty to any meaningful degree when charged and “investigated”; so, rightly, people are fed up and cynical. it is woeful how groups tend to fall into the lowest common denominator category.
Will never happen. Just using the prod to jolt the system. Cool it yourself.
The Lethbridge city police force has certainly had their missteps over the years. One might wonder, though, this threat by the Justice Minister, is it a precursor to the desire for the Kenney UCP’s idea of a provincial police force? Using a bad situation as a setup for something else?
When I lived in Lethbridge we were proud of the work they did. Now while you guys whine about the needles in your parks, like you should, the city of Edmonton police aren’t seeing it here.