Lethbridge police say out of nearly 32,000 calls for service last year, 99.4 per cent were resolved without any use of force.
The Lethbridge Police Service (LPS) presented its 2024 use of force data during a public meeting on Wednesday.
A Friday news release from LPS says officers are required to complete a use of force report when “any force other than cooperative handcuffing or escort techniques are used, there’s an injury requiring medical intervention, a firearm or less lethal weapon is displayed, unintentional discharges (occur) or any incident requiring notification under the Police Act.”
LPS says the reports are reviewed to identify any trends that could be “remediated” with training and to determine if the officer’s actions were reasonable.
“Our voice is our greatest tool,” said Chief Shahin Mehdizadeh. “The majority of what we do is talk to people and the ability to communicate and de-escalate situations is really what prevents harm and saves lives.”
LPS says data from 2020 to 2024 shows that every year police have resolved more than 99 per cent of all calls without any force.
In 2024, The 0.6 per cent of cases where force was used involved a total 248 people.
LPS says there were no fatalities, no hospitalizations and the vast majority of people – 195 – did not sustain any visible injuries.
“The remaining 53 subjects sustained minor injuries, with just over half requiring treatment on scene or at hospital before being released. In 2024, there were 21 officers who were injured – almost double from the 12 officers injured in 2023.”
No firearms were discharged in 2024, LPS said.
The use of force data shows that in 2024, 80 per cent of the cases where force was used involved people who were “perceived as being agitated, intoxicated, suffering from mental health issues or in a state of crisis.”
LPS said 17 per cent had access to weapons or weapons were reported, and only three per cent were perceived to be in a “normal” mental state.
