New deputy chief joining police service
By Trevor Busch - Lethbridge Herald on December 16, 2021.
Gerald GrobmeierLETHBRIDGE HERALDtbusch@lethbridgeherald.com
A new deputy chief will be joining the Lethbridge Police Service in March 2022.
Gerald Grobmeier is joining the LPS after almost three decades of national and international service with the RCMP, most recently as the superintendent in charge of the Red Deer Detachment where he led a team of 174 police officers and 86 municipal employees. Grobmeier will assume his new position on March 7, 2022.
“We received numerous applications from across Canada, and following a series of interviews, last month Gerald Grobmeier was selected as our successful candidate,” said LPS Chief Shahin Mehdizadeh on Wednesday. “As an accomplished police leader with nearly three decades of experience, he has a proven track record of innovation and crime prevention and reduction, and we are very pleased to welcome him to our Lethbridge Police Service family.”
According to the LPS, during Mehdizadeh’s career with the RCMP he and Grobmeier worked together and their familiarity is expected to help expedite the transition.
“On a personal note, I’ve worked with Gerald in the past, and I know that his extensive experience, ability to lead change, dedication to building relationships, and the vision he brings to policing will make him a good fit to join our team,” said Mehdizadeh. “The fact that he’s coming from a similar-sized community, Red Deer, with many of the same challenges and issues as Lethbridge is facing, I truly believe he can add value to the operations of this team.”
Grobmeier began his policing career in 1993, serving in detachments across Canada and spent four years in Berlin as the liaison officer in charge of all international investigations involving Germany, Poland and Austria. Grobmeier holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Regina and has completed a number of executive development and leadership programs.
“I am honoured to be joining the Lethbridge Police Service and look forward to working with the organization’s many community partners to foster our relationship,” said Grobmeier in a press release. “Lethbridge is a great city and my wife and I, along with our two dogs, are excited to make it our new home and become part of the community.”
In October the LPS, in partnership with the Lethbridge Police Commission, engaged in a national search following the retirement of the previous deputy chief. The panel, consisting of Mehdizadeh, Dawna Coslovi, chair of the Police Commission HR Committee, Jason Elliott, City of Lethbridge Manager of People and Culture and Chief Mark Neufeld with the Calgary Police Service, received numerous applications from across Canada.
The panel reviewed 12 applications for the position. Mehdizadeh explained why the LPS decided to seek applicants externally rather than hiring the position in-house.
“The choice was made to find the best applicant for the job. This was a national search, and it was open to anyone who wanted to participate and compete in it. We weren’t really looking at internal versus external, we just were looking at the right person, right fit.”
Until Grobmeier assumes his new role in March, Interim Deputy Chief Scott Boyd – who was temporarily seconded from the Calgary Police Service – will remain in place.
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