By Justin Goulet (@JustinGoulet21)

Survey finds a ‘lack of trust’ within Lethbridge Police Service

Mar 18, 2019 | 1:05 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – It appears as though there is discord within the Lethbridge Police Service.

An internal survey was conducted in December by the Lethbridge Police Association, the unit which represents members of the LPS.

The survey was in turn released to a local media outlet. However, according to the LPA’s President Jay McMillan, results were supposed to remain in-house and not made available to outside sources.

“We conducted the survey designed to be internal and we distributed it to our membership so that they could review it and be informed. It’s their information, the information that they provided to us and our obligation is to provide that back to them and give them some feedback, so we gave them the results of the survey” McMillan said at a media conference Monday morning.

“Very shortly after that, I can’t tell you what happened with it. That’s part of what happens I think when you share information is that to some extent you lose control of it.”

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The survey results have since been made available to some additional media outlets.

The survey revealed some unsettling statistics about the morale within the LPS. 111, or two-thirds, of the 159 association members responded to the survey, and only 10 per cent of that number said they believe Chief Rob Davis is an “honest and effective communicator” with residents of Lethbridge and members of the police service.

“First and foremost, what it (survey results) illustrates is a level of frustration among our membership with the leadership in the organization and with the Chief of Police,” McMillan said.

“That’s not to say that they’re defeated. There’s an overwhelming support from the community for our members…from the community, from (their) coworkers and supervisors. Our members are feeling immensely supported. The problem is not there, it lies somewhere else.”

McMillan said right now, they are reviewing the “raw data” to establish further action. He said they will potentially consult with their legal counsel to establish if there’s any occupational health and safety, and human rights concerns they need to fully address.

“What has been established is that there is a clear concern for the lack of trust…there’s a lack of trust and confidence right now within our organization. It’s a morale issue and that is due to a lack of confidence and trust in the leadership of the organization,” McMillan said.

The survey found that almost one third of members have been “directly bullied or intimidated by the chief” and 54 per cent said, “their coworkers have been bullied or intimidated by the chief”.

McMillan described the culture within the police force as “toxic”.

“Right now…I think all we can really do is trust the process and legislation and the Police Commission and City of Lethbridge to address what needs to be addressed in the appropriate fashion. We have a good relationship with the City of Lethbridge and the Police Commission, and we trust that they will take appropriate steps to address our issues and our concerns,” he said.

McMillan added that members will “not falter in their commitment to them (residents) in providing the best service that we possibly can, given the circumstances we find ourselves in.”

He said the LPA was aware of the issues between officers and Davis. He said they had noticed a “dip in morale”, which lead to the survey being conducted.

“It’s not a regular course of business for us to do a survey on the leadership team. It doesn’t come easy for our members…it’s not easy to stand up and say I have an issue with the Chief of Police,” he said.

McMillan noted that he was involved in a survey like this before, back in 2013.

“Anyone who works for any employer has the right to work in a safe, happy and productive environment. Advocating for our members, we want to make sure that they work some place where they’re happy and allowed to be productive and flourish,” he said.

“We provide a fairly sensitive public service and we want to do so effectively and efficiently. Any time there’s a certain level of dysfunction in an organization, that challenges your effectiveness. We want to provide for our community.”

DRUG CRISIS IN LETHBRIDGE

Only 12 per cent of survey respondents believe Davis has responded appropriately to the city-wide drug crisis and zero per cent think the supervised consumption site has made policing easier.

“That doesn’t come as a surprise to me because that’s what I’ve been hearing from them for some time since the institution was brought to our community…(This) was also reflective of I think a bigger picture, that maybe the drug crisis is not being addressed in the most appropriate or effective fashion,” McMillan said.

Less than three per cent believe the consumption site has increased safety for residents. On the flip-side, 12 per cent do believe that Davis has responded appropriately to the growing drug crisis in the city.

McMillan touched on whether members will be able to “move forward” even with the lack of trust the LPA noticed from the survey results.

“In providing a safe community, we have to move forward and have to do our job on a day to day basis and we’re committed to doing that,” he said.

“As far as addressing the issues internally…there’s going to be a process for that and we’re going to have to follow that. We have to try and separate that from the provision of a safe community in Lethbridge and I have confidence that our members will do what’s right.”

Chief Rob Davis is currently at the RCMP Change of Command ceremony and therefore is unavailable for further comment. Lethbridge News Now hopes to speak with him later this week.

McMillan said he believes Davis was aware that the survey was being conducted. The LPA has not had any discussions with Chief Davis since the survey results were released.

“This broke quite a bit faster than I think any of us anticipated it would, so we’ve not had the time to speak with the Police Commission or (Davis) about the results at this point. That would have been our plan going forward for sure,” he stated.

He said the LPA does however have ongoing communication with its legal counsel.

“As far as addressing the issue with the Police Commission and with the executive of the police service we’re going to need to establish the best way to do that and the best time to do that, but I don’t think that it’s something we should probably let linger.”

He said had the information not been released, he believes their first step would have been to speak with the City of Lethbridge, Police Commission and “potentially” with the leadership team of the LPS.

“What we don’t want to do necessarily is create an unnecessary panic or concerns within the community where there maybe need not be one. I can’t say whether there should be a concern or not at this point. It’s pretty early.”

The Lethbridge Police Commission has since issued a statement in response to the matter. The LPC said that they are not in a position

to comment as it has not yet seen the results of the survey.

“The Commission conducts its own annual evaluation of the Chief of Police. The LPC continues to have full confidence in the changes Chief Rob Davis has implemented.”

McMillan stated that at the end of the day, “it’s going to be about results.”

“It’s going to be about establishing a competent, fair workplace…a happy workplace, a productive workplace and some safety for our members where they’re not feeling frustration, they’re not feeling the intimidation, (and) they’re not feeling the fear and the anxiety that they are right now.”