Policing in Challenging Times

These are challenging times for the world, and law enforcement agencies are not exempt from the taxing circumstances or the growing expectations of the community, whether that’s from a global or local perspective. Under greater scrutiny than perhaps ever before, policing in 2021 presents numerous potential perils which must be safely navigated. In his presentation, ‘Policing in Challenging Times’, the speaker will discuss the many and varied challenges facing the Lethbridge Police Service, ranging from the opioid crisis and resulting spin-offs, to policing during a pandemic and dealing with budget constraints in the face of rising crime rates. The discussion will also include both internal and external means to tackle those challenges. Police Chief Shahin Mehdizadeh will open his presentation by outlining the journey which brought him to a leadership role with the Lethbridge Police Service (LPS). Speaker: Shahin Mehdizadeh, Lethbridge Police Chief Sworn in as the Lethbridge Chief of Police in August of 2020, he began his policing career with the RCMP in 1989. He is an accomplished police executive with more than 30 years of national and international policing experience covering such disciplines as general patrol duties, major crimes, drug and organized crime, covert operations and national security. A Member of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces (M.O.M.), Chief Mehdizadeh has a proven track record of success in leading initiatives to counter and prevent crime, promote public safety and build strong relationships with communities. Date and time: Thursday March 25, 2021 at 10:00 am MST YouTube Live link: https://youtu.be/yNrVAibLcBA In order to ask questions of our speaker in the chat feature of YouTube, you must have a YouTube account and be signed in. Please do so well ahead of the scheduled start time, so you’ll be ready. Go to the YouTube Live link provided in this session flyer and on the top right of your browser click the “sign in” button. If you have Google or Gmail accounts, they can be used to sign in. If you don’t, click “Create Account” and follow along. Once you are signed in, you can return to the live stream and use the chat feature to ask your questions of the speaker. Remember you can only participate in the chat feature while we are livestreaming. Link to SACPA’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/SouthernAlbertaCouncilonPublicAffairs