2 Lethbridge Police Officers Demoted at Hearing for Misconduct Involving Offensive Memes | The Canadian News

A pair of Lethbridge police officers have been demoted for a year after pleading guilty to misconduct charges earlier this month.

The joint presentation of the Const. David Easter and Const. Matthew Rilkoff on November 2, 2021 was accepted on Tuesday afternoon, during the continuation of a disciplinary hearing.

The misconduct dates back to July 2018, when a private group chat dubbed the ‘meme militia’ was created on the WhatsApp platform; the group shared texts and images that contravene LPS policy, including offensive depictions of other members of the police service and society in general, as well as pornography.

The president said Tuesday that a meme also named a political figure, adding that the matter has gained such significant public interest that the damage to the LPS ‘reputation will take years to repair.

Each officer was convicted of two counts of dishonorable conduct and one count of insubordination and negligence of duty. Two more counts were withdrawn.

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Beginning December 1, 2021, both Easter and Rilkoff will be demoted from Senior Agents (Tier 2) to First Class Agents; the demotion will result in a loss of approximately $ 15,000 each in wages.

Easter and Rilkoff were described at the hearing as having exceptional performance records. Easter has been a member of the LPS for more than 23 years, while Rilkoff is 11 years in the force.

Three other officers were also charged with misconduct in the matter: Const. Keon Woronuk and Const. Derek Riddel has now resigned, while Sgt. Jason Moulton, who created the ‘meme militia’ group, has his next hearing scheduled for January 10, 2022.

Sergeant. Moulton pleaded guilty to five counts on November 2, 2021, including two counts of discredited conduct, two counts of negligence of duty, one count of insubordination, he also pleaded not guilty to an additional count of discredited conduct, while two counts additional were withdrawn.

In a statement Tuesday, LPS said that to maintain the integrity of the process, there will be no further comment at this time.

“Once the matter has been fully concluded, the police will be available for comment and an update describing all penalties will also be provided to the public on the LPS website as per the Professional Standards,” the statement read.

The content of the ‘meme militia’ chats, as well as the images that were distributed, are protected by a seal order, but that order could be lifted once the process is complete.