Former deputy police chief appeals 'Memegate' sanctions, says officers should have been dismissed
Scott Woods, former deputy and interim police chief, says sanctions for the Lethbridge Police Service (LPS) "Memegate" scandal should have been more severe and the officers should have been dismissed.
Woods appealed the punishments handed down on Wednesday.
In 2018, Edmonton police began investigating five Lethbridge officers accused of being part of the 'Meme Milita'.
The officers involved created and circulated profane, abusive and insulting memes of their superiors, including Woods, and various community members using work cellphones while on the job.
After a professional-conduct hearing in 2021, five officers were charged with misconduct.
Two of the officers, Matthew Rilkoff and David Easter, pleaded guilty to four counts including insubordination and neglect of duty.
The officers were demoted by two grades, resulting in a $15,000 salary decrease.
In his appeal submission, Woods says records would show the officers actually made money through time owed and paid vacation.
He also said the case law is outdated and facts were left out of the sentencing report.
The officers' representative disputes calls for their dismissal and says the appeal itself should be dismissed.
LPS counsel, representing the chief, agreed, saying the prior sanctions were more than enough for the two officers.
Two other officers resigned before their disciplinary hearings. Another was dismissed.
All of the memes have been sealed to prevent re-victimizing the subjects of the texts.
The Law Enforcement Review Board will take all submissions into account and will return with a decision within the next 60 days.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.