A disciplinary hearing will be held on April 17, 2025, for matters involving LPS Chief Shahin Mehdizadeh. (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

LPS chief to undergo disciplinary hearing

Mar 27, 2025 | 12:04 PM

A disciplinary hearing has been scheduled for the Chief of the Lethbridge Police Service (LPS).

In 2022, former Deputy Chief Scott Woods accused Shahin Mehdizadeh of discreditable conduct, dating back to 2020.

The matter was referred to the Lethbridge Police Commission (LPC) and Edmonton Police Service (EPS) to investigate.

The EPS investigation identified 16 allegations but determined that 10 of them were time-barred under the Police Act or the complainant did not have standing to make a complaint. The remaining six allegations were dismissed for being frivolous, vexatious and lacking an evidentiary basis.

However, Woods appealed that decision to the Law Enforcement Review Board (LERB).

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The LERB determined in 2024 that it did not have jurisdiction to consider the 10 allegations that were time-barred or without standing under the Police Act.

They upheld the dismissal of three of the remaining six allegations but ruled that the other three should go to a hearing. Those allegations are:

• On March 11, 2021, Mehdizadeh violated a COVID-19 rule regarding cohorts by taking a civilian member out for lunch.
• On March 15, 2021, Mehdizadeh denied that he had done anything wrong in violating a COVID-19 restriction. He said that there must be some level of moral culpability but that a disciplinary penalty would not be appropriate.
• Mehdizadeh held a press conference about holding LPS officers accountable for violating COVID-19 public health orders, despite him breaking the rules himself.

The full report from the LERB can be found here. The allegations that will be part of the disciplinary hearing are Allegations 6, 7 and 8.

The hearing is scheduled for Monday, April 17, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. in the Culver City Room at Lethbridge City Hall. The Notice of Hearing is posted on the Commission’s website.

LPS says in a media release that it will not provide any further information at this time.

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