Alberta NDP MLA Shannon Phillips (Lethbridge-West) had been monitored inappropriately by Lethbridge Police Service (LPS) officers, but it appears they will not be facing any consequences. Phillips said she was unsurprised the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service (ACPS) has not acted on the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team’s (ASIRT) recommendation to charge three LPS officers. “This happens frequently when ASIRT recommends charges, to the point where it appears there may be a systemic issue related to resources, expertise, or other solveable problem,” tweeted Phillips on Monday. .ASIRT recommended laying charges against three LPS officers who relied on police databases to improperly examine Phillips’ personal information on May 17, but the ACPS did not prosecute them. ASIRT Director Mike Ewenson revealed the details of the conclusions from the two investigations in a letter he sent to her lawyer Michael Bates. Ewenson noted the outcomes of the two investigations into improper access of police data by LPS in 2017 and 2018. To Phillips, she said the Crown declining to proceed is not the main issue. Rather, she pointed out the real issue she has is ASIRT undertaking a full investigation and confirming her records were accessed in 2018 for no lawful purpose other than political intimidation. The only reason people know any of this is that she filed a Freedom of Information request in 2020 after the revelation she had been photographed and defamed by other officers in 2017. Since then, she has been pursuing some form of accountability from the LPS. The MLA went on to say the years leading up to ASIRT’s findings have been rough for her. She added she knows people think she is strong, as she has been the face of tough files in Alberta and Canada. However, she said she “was not prepared for how hard the police oversight process has been on me, my family, and my love of political life.” She accused the LPS of harming her career and reputation. Since the LPS lacked vigilance, Phillips said it has a profound, important effect on democracy. In particular, she said these findings “send a message to progressive people who might want to participate in politics that in Lethbridge, you may be a police target for your views.”“The threat that law enforcement may violate a citizen's right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure if they don't like that citizen's politics is intolerable in a free and democratic society,” she said. “The lesson for the community and for Albertans is we must hold the LPS accountable and send the message that at no point will we tolerate the police intimidating elected officials or anyone else.”Alberta Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister Mike Ellis said during Question Period in the legislature he was grateful for ASIRT’s report and recommendations. “On behalf of all good, honest, hard-working police officers, I can tell you we do believe in accountability, Mr. Speaker,” said Ellis. “And with that, I will be saying we will be looking at taking all options, including an inquiry of some kind, and we’ll be discussing that with my department on the best path forward for accountability.”Phillips called for an out-of-province investigation into the LPS in 2020, accusing it of intimidation for political purposes.READ MORE: NDP MLA calls for investigation into Lethbridge police after cops demoted for stalking herShe made the call after media reports said two LPS officers had been demoted for following and photographing her before distributing the photos on Facebook.“The Lethbridge Police Service illegally put me under surveillance and harassed me in public,” she said.
Alberta NDP MLA Shannon Phillips (Lethbridge-West) had been monitored inappropriately by Lethbridge Police Service (LPS) officers, but it appears they will not be facing any consequences. Phillips said she was unsurprised the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service (ACPS) has not acted on the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team’s (ASIRT) recommendation to charge three LPS officers. “This happens frequently when ASIRT recommends charges, to the point where it appears there may be a systemic issue related to resources, expertise, or other solveable problem,” tweeted Phillips on Monday. .ASIRT recommended laying charges against three LPS officers who relied on police databases to improperly examine Phillips’ personal information on May 17, but the ACPS did not prosecute them. ASIRT Director Mike Ewenson revealed the details of the conclusions from the two investigations in a letter he sent to her lawyer Michael Bates. Ewenson noted the outcomes of the two investigations into improper access of police data by LPS in 2017 and 2018. To Phillips, she said the Crown declining to proceed is not the main issue. Rather, she pointed out the real issue she has is ASIRT undertaking a full investigation and confirming her records were accessed in 2018 for no lawful purpose other than political intimidation. The only reason people know any of this is that she filed a Freedom of Information request in 2020 after the revelation she had been photographed and defamed by other officers in 2017. Since then, she has been pursuing some form of accountability from the LPS. The MLA went on to say the years leading up to ASIRT’s findings have been rough for her. She added she knows people think she is strong, as she has been the face of tough files in Alberta and Canada. However, she said she “was not prepared for how hard the police oversight process has been on me, my family, and my love of political life.” She accused the LPS of harming her career and reputation. Since the LPS lacked vigilance, Phillips said it has a profound, important effect on democracy. In particular, she said these findings “send a message to progressive people who might want to participate in politics that in Lethbridge, you may be a police target for your views.”“The threat that law enforcement may violate a citizen's right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure if they don't like that citizen's politics is intolerable in a free and democratic society,” she said. “The lesson for the community and for Albertans is we must hold the LPS accountable and send the message that at no point will we tolerate the police intimidating elected officials or anyone else.”Alberta Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister Mike Ellis said during Question Period in the legislature he was grateful for ASIRT’s report and recommendations. “On behalf of all good, honest, hard-working police officers, I can tell you we do believe in accountability, Mr. Speaker,” said Ellis. “And with that, I will be saying we will be looking at taking all options, including an inquiry of some kind, and we’ll be discussing that with my department on the best path forward for accountability.”Phillips called for an out-of-province investigation into the LPS in 2020, accusing it of intimidation for political purposes.READ MORE: NDP MLA calls for investigation into Lethbridge police after cops demoted for stalking herShe made the call after media reports said two LPS officers had been demoted for following and photographing her before distributing the photos on Facebook.“The Lethbridge Police Service illegally put me under surveillance and harassed me in public,” she said.
