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He also said the case law is outdated and facts were left out of the sentencing report.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
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.