The Chief of the Lethbridge Police Service has called for an investigation after receiving a formal complaint about social media comments made by a LPS member.
The police said Friday they’d received “a number of messages with respect to concerns about the personal social media posts of an employee who commented on the attendance of a transgender woman who was a guest at the Alberta Legislature earlier this week.”
The police received a formal complaint under the Alberta Police Act on April 21 “regarding the employee’s alleged conduct” and the police chief directed an investigation Friday.
Dillon Hargreaves, who is a Lethbridge resident and transgender woman, was at the legislature on Tuesday as a guest of Lethbridge West MLA Shannon Phillips. She was there to mark the 100th anniversary of women receiving the right to vote in Alberta. She was met with applause by MLAs in Edmonton, but the reaction was much different from a police officer in Lethbridge.
Lethbridge Police Service Staff Sgt. Scott Chadsey, who several people confirm to Global News was using the name Chad Scott on Facebook, took to the social media site with this message Thursday night.
“Ladies – NDP MLA introduces a transgender male as a guest representing 100 years of women’s suffrage. I think Dillon is very brave, however, I believe this makes a mockery of important women’s issues.”
The post followed with this exchange between Chadsey and another commenter:
“One period and he’d be back to being a man, insult to real women!!!”
To which Scott replied.
“Right? The challenge of child-birth, maternity leaves on careers etc. Same”
Hargreaves has dealt with this kind of attitude for some time, but never from a police officer.
“When you’re in a position of authority, you need to respect adamantly the rights and opinions of others,” Hargreaves said, “which is the exact opposite of what we’ve seen.”
Chadsey has since taken the initial post along with the alias Facebook profile down. But some members of the public have already weighed in on the Lethbridge Police Service’s Facebook page.
“The views expressed by Chad Scott are ignorant and hateful and completely unbecoming of any decent human being, let alone a police officer,” read one comment.
Police said Friday that “the employee currently works in an administrative function and will remain working in that capacity.”
LPS is not commenting further until the investigation is complete, but in a statement Thursday, said:
“The Lethbridge Police Service is committed to providing safe and inclusive communities for all our citizens. We respect and value equity, dignity and inclusion for all members of the public we serve.
“LPS has a dedicated Diversity Liaison Officer and we are very fortunate to work closely and have strong partnerships with community groups that recognize and celebrate diversity and inclusivity in the City of Lethbridge.
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“All members of the LPS receive diversity training and the Service is committed to bias-free policing, which means all people are treated equally and fairly and all investigative decisions are based only on criminal behaviour.
“As an organization we have an official LPS Facebook page and Twitter account that are used to communicate with the public. These are the only social media accounts that represent the LPS.
“We acknowledge that social media provides a forum for all individuals to freely share information and express opinions and LPS employees are not precluded from using social media as private citizens. Personal opinions of employees do not represent the views of the Lethbridge Police Service.
“The conduct of any LPS employee, who violates the Service’s policies or contravenes the Alberta Police Act, may be subject to an investigation and disciplinary process.
“The requirements for a citizen to file a formal complaint are outlined in the Alberta Police Act.
“The Lethbridge Police Service remains committed to serving every member of our community with fairness and equality, celebrating diversity and working with community stakeholders to ensure that all our citizens feel protected and supported.”
The whole experience leaves Hargreaves a little uneasy about the thought of an interaction with a potential transphobic police officer.
“If I knew the individual had those kinds of views, it would make me question the safety I have as an individual,” Hargreaves said.
Hargreaves also has a message for those with similar views as Chadsey allegedly voiced.
“Trans women are women, period,” she said. “Trans women need to be respected and treated as such.”
**Editorial Note: Multiple sources have informed Global News that Lethbridge Police Service Staff Sergeant Scott Chadsey was operating under the Facebook alias profile of Chad Scott** This article was originally posted April 21 and updated on April 22 when the police chief called for an investigation.
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