Last year, Lethbridge Police Services responded to nearly 38,000 calls for service and 99.5 per cent were resolved without any use of force.
According to LPS, a use of force report must be completed by an officer when any force other than cooperative handcuffing or escort techniques is used, there’s an injury to the officer, subject or bystander, a firearm or less lethal weapon is displayed, any accidental discharge of a firearm or less lethal weapon and any use of force that requires notification under the Police Act to the director of law enforcement.
The written reports are reviewed through the chain of command to evaluate current training, identify any issues or trends that could be addressed through additional training and provide oversight to ensure the officer’s actions were reasonable and aligned with LPS training, policies and provincial guidelines.
“The 0.5 per cent of cases where force was used involved 217 subjects. There were no fatalities and in the majority of circumstances – no visible injuries. Of the subjects involved, 173 did not sustain any injuries, 20 sustained minor injuries that did not require treatment, 23 sustained injuries that required treatment and none required hospitalization,” says LPS.
In 2023, there were 12 officers who were injured. All LPS officers receive comprehensive training in verbal communication, de-escalation and disengagement techniques, incident assessment and threat identification, as well as use of force techniques.
“When officers respond to a call, they’re trained to assess the situation and subjects involved, re-assess as the matter evolves and in most cases the use of de-escalation and disengagement techniques to help gain the benefit of time and options enables a resolution that does not involve any use of force or result in injuries,” adds LPS.
No firearms were discharged in 2023. The most common use of less-lethal force options involved the deployment of police service dogs and drawing or pointing a Conducted Energy Weapon (taser) or sock guns.
In 2023, 78 per cent of the cases where force was used involved subjects who were perceived as being agitated, intoxicated by alcohol or drugs, having a mental health condition or being in a state of crisis. Nineteen per cent had access to weapons or weapons were reported to dispatch and only three per cent were perceived to be in a “normal” state.
LPS currently has two Police and Crisis Teams (PACT), that pair an officer and a mental health therapist to better serve high-risk individuals and those with chronic issues, and all officers receive ongoing training to help them respond effectively to calls involving individuals with mental health concerns.
“The service also uses the HealthIM digital platform that provides officers with a pre-response safety briefing and helps support their assessment on whether a person should be transported to a designated facility for evaluation,” notes LPS.