Police commission extends chief’s contract to 2029
By Lethbridge Herald on August 6, 2025.
Lethbridge Herald
The Lethbridge Police Commission has announced they have extended the contract for Shahin Mehdizadeh, chief of Lethbridge Police Service until August 2029.
Since his appointment in 2020, Mehdizadeh has provided consistent leadership through and change.
This extension comes at a time when Lethbridge’s Crime Severity Index (CSI) shows significant improvement.
Statistics Canada’s 2024 report shows Lethbridge’s CSI score dropped 19 per cent compared to the previous year and marked the third consecutive year of decline.
The Lethbridge Police Commission credits the decline to Chief Mehdizadeh’s leadership which includes a focus on community engagement, proactive policing strategies and the successful implementation of data driven initiatives like CompStat.
In a media release, Noella Piquette, commission chair for the commission, said the commission is confident in the chief’s continued leadership and vision.
“This extension reflects are shared commitment to stability, service and forward-looking policing in Lethbridge.
She added that the commission is excited to continue working with Mehdizadeh as they advance their strategic priorities and strengthen relationships with the community.
The chief expressed gratitude for the opportunity to continue to lead LPS and says he looks forward to continuing to serve the community.
“I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together so far and I remain deeply committed to serving our community with such an amazing and dedicated team.”
The Lethbridge Police Commission is a civilian body of seven citizen representatives and two City Council Members appointed by City Council, to which the LPS is accountable.
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The CSI index doesn’t reflect a true picture of what is happening on our streets, although the work done by police is appreciated, statistics do not tell the whole story.
There is still much more work to be done and many of us are frustrated it has taken so long, but even more frustrated when we hear police leadership state, ‘every other city has this problem, so we have to accept it’.
We do not have to accept it and we have a choice what happens in our city!
The encampment strategy needs to be amended and there should be no encampments and no people sleeping in doorways of our businesses with a shelter that is less than half full and other spaces been offered.
It is time to see the results of the increases in the police budget, more members added and all of the complaints from the public acknowledged and acted on. We want to see Galt Gardens repatriated from the addicts and criminals and see events that we once enjoyed downtown return! It will take time to get people back once the addicts/criminals have been removed.
There will be high expectations of this police Chief to do so! Our city is not Calgary, it is not Red Deer, it is not Edmonton and we do not want these drug issues on our streets or around our businesses any more! We are tired of the costs!
We want pro-active policing! I have watched people sleeping and doing drugs around my business doorway, police drive by and keep on driving just for one example! Pro-active policing, not re-active!
The work has been appreciated by all the hard working police members, but it is time for this Chief to listen and act on what the public does not want in our city! It just isn’t the drug/crime issues, it includes vehicle and motorcycle traffic violations as well.
In the interest of accuracy, the Lethbridge Shelter and Resource Centre is regularly full beyond capacity.
Chief Mehdizadeh is a dedicated and compassionate man and I respect that! Where we cross swords . . . the handling of the sleeping rough/encampees who invade our city every spring and stay until winter sets in and then disappear to some other community. In conversation with the Chief he has stated that the issues are not just in Lethbridge, but other cities, even showing me pictures.
I respect the Chief, but he moved here not knowing what our city was like prior and how hard many of us fought to make sure our city didn’t look like those other cities. We had to pressure leadership to do so, being a pest!
When spring arrives and we watch people arriving back to our city not to find work, get treatment, or tour, but to commit crimes and party on our streets and they are allowed to build up, and tents increase . . . when it is the time to ‘nip it in the budding stage’ but nothing is done, then I get upset!
There are many ways to make sure they are not allowed to set up! One mistake made is when they move in to tear down the encampments, clean the area up, and move on, they do not set up barricades/signage and/or security to prevent them from returning . . . which they do often within hours. All those man hours are wasted in the effort by not doing so!
The issues are on our streets are a law enforcement issue and there are problems with the federal government’s legislation, BUT there are ways to circumvent those issues utilizing other methods. We pay the high level members of LPS very well to make the decisions needed to protect the people/property and to find ways to be successful.
The public shouldn’t have to be constantly complaining to see change!
Galt Gardens has seen some significant changes in the last couple of weeks, with less addicts and criminals who were up all night committing crimesthen sleeping rough in the park, but that is only because of formal complaints filed after unacceptable threats made and LPS failing to act!
The addicts and criminals feel they own the city now because of years of free reign downtown and what we now hear more than ever now when asking people to move along who are committing crimes around our residence . . . this is Blackfoot land! Well maybe the Blackfoot can pay my property tax then? 🙂
NOTE: not all are Indigenous now, about 1/3 are non-Indigenous
We have pampered these people and allowed them to take over parks, streets and neighbourhoods and they now think they own the city!
We have been pushed out of Galt Gardens and given a little piece of a block to celebrate called Festival Square, while many events too large for that little piece refuse to use Galt Gardens anymore and those events now appear to be celebrated at Henderson and other areas.
Galt Gardens is the city center, easy access with buses all coming to the center. AND we continue to pour millions into Galt Gardens, almost $8 million going into the SAAG in that park. Millions have been poured into the area to revitalize it, but the problem still exists . . . the addicts and criminals!
Law enforcement is needed to clean up the area, not revitalization! The park is always in repair from the damages: fires, graffiti, damages tables/benches, yet they fail to act on the real issue, the common denominator costing us all . . . the addicts and criminals.
We need action and should be an example of how to deal with the issues ‘other’ cities have and can do so easily using existing laws and bylaws! We still can do this!
As it stands, it will take a few years after the issues downtown are cleaned up before the public is going to feel comfortable returning to Galt Gardens and downtown for events, where they don’t have to worry about getting their vehicles broke into, purses/backpacks stolen or threatened!
I know the Chief is capable, but he must be willing to do so!
Chief, I appreciate you coming to our city, knowing that you are walking into a mess not just in the city, but in the department, which in itself was a monumental task and thank you . . . now lets take back our city from the criminals! End the carnage on our streets!