An officer with the LPS has been reprimanded for inappropriately accessing records. (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

LPS officer reprimanded for accessing data of former Lethbridge MLA

Oct 7, 2024 | 11:16 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – More than six years later, some action is being taken against a member of the Lethbridge Police Service (LPS).

Constable Joel Odorski is being sanctioned through a reprimand, which will remain on his record of discipline for three years.

This stems from an incident in 2017 when Shannon Phillips, who was the MLA for Lethbridge-West and Environment Minister at the time, was being surveilled by members of LPS while meeting with stakeholders.

Several employees of the police service had accessed records related to Phillips in 2018, but the Lethbridge Police Association (LPA) says the access to those documents was legitimate and related to policing duties for most of them.

An independent investigation by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) found that two officers did not access the files for legitimate purposes. One of those officers has since resigned, leaving only Odorski to be followed up on.

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The LPS Professional Standards Unit investigated in June 2024, which determined that Odorski saw posts on social media involving Phillips and had accessed a file with her information to determine if there had been any misconduct by LPS personnel related to the posts.

No evidence was found to connect any employees to the posts.

LPS Chief Shahin Mehdizadeh says the reasons for the search did not excuse or justify the conduct, and the officer’s actions were unauthorized as he was not acting in compliance with policy or instruction from a superior officer.

Okorski was found guilty of discreditable conduct and insubordination.

The LPA says there had been “inaccurate accounts, broad accusations, and unfair speculations aimed at the men and women of the Lethbridge Police Service” over the last several years.

“Allegations or reports that Ms. Phillips’ police database information was accessed to target her for being a woman or for her political affiliation are wildly inaccurate… Cst. Odorski was never accused or investigated for any of the separate instances of “surveillance” or other misconduct of any kind and his was an isolated instance,” reads a portion of a media release from the LPA.

Phillips still has an ongoing civil suit against LPS, but all other related matters have now concluded.

The full statement from the LPA can be read here.

READ MORE: Lethbridge News Now

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