Police members receive King Charles III Coronation medals

Four Lethbridge Police members were honoured with King Charles III Coronation Medals for their contributions to community safety, well-being and innovation.

The medals were presented by Her Honour, The Honourable Salma Lakhani, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, AOE, BSc, LLD (hon), to Deputy Chief Gerald Grobmeier, Sgt. Bill Basso and civilians Catherine Pooley and Stephane Contre (retired).

Deputy Chief Gerald Grobmeier:

Over the span of 32 years, Gerald Grobmeier has served as a police officer – 29 years with the RCMP and three with the Lethbridge Police Service. Throughout his career, he was stationed across Canada working in large and remote detachments and served in Germany as a liaison officer for four years. He was instrumental in in fostering a working relationship between the RCMP and Polish prosecutors in a high-profile incident at the Vancouver airport that garnered international attention. He has helped implement highly successful CompStat programs throughout Canada and is a leader in organizational wellness, providing support for initiatives involving early intervention and reintegration. Grobmeier also supported a major reconciliation project for LPS and has been an avid volunteer, coaching soccer at various levels and serving on a number of boards. 

Sgt. Bill Basso:

Bill Basso is the longest actively serving LPS officer with 36 years of dedicated service to the community. During his career, Basso has worked in areas throughout the organization and was a leading expert in Canada in blood spatter pattern analysis. Basso was seconded to the Alberta Police Integrated Information Initiative (API3) for two years and although the provincial project did not come to fruition, his leadership and guidance were instrumental. Basso is currently the LPS representative on the Alberta Police Review Commission Implementation Team, the working group that is developing the new public agency that will oversee and investigate allegations of police misconduct in alignment with the Police Amendment Act 2022. In his more than three decades of public service, Basso’s work ethic and professionalism are unmatched.

Catherine Pooley:

Catherine Pooley is the manager of the LPS Victim/Witness Services Unit, managing a team of more than 60 volunteers, who play a critical role providing trauma-informed, client-centered support of victims of crime and trauma in Lethbridge and southern Alberta. One of Cat’s many achievements, is the expansion of trauma support services through the implementation of two Facility Dogs within LPS. These dogs specialize in providing support and comfort to employees, victims and the community at large. Additionally, Cat implemented a peer support program designed to provide emotional, social and practical support to Crisis Support Workers, fostered a highly collaborative relationship with the Chinook Sexual Assault Centre to maintain Third Option support services for sexual assault victims despite funding cuts and supported the development of a new provincial framework for regional victim services programs. She also provides Active Bystandership in Law Enforcement and ethics training to new cadets. Her leadership has established the LPS Victim/Witness Services Unit as a benchmark program in Canada. 

Stephane Contre:

Stephane Contre began his career as an Infantry Officer with the Canadian Armed Forces, where he served in Bosnia, led the Canadian Forces Parachute Team and trained troops for international deployments. His commitment to service continued as a police officer with the Ottawa Police Service and Regional Security Manager in Chad, where he successfully mitigated security risks. He also served a Deputy Commanding Officer, leading intelligence operations in various overseas environments. He recently retired from his post as the as the Criminal Strategic Analytics Manager for LPS, after pioneering innovative data solutions that have led to significant crime reduction in our community. His expertise in advanced analytics, honed during his time with the City of Edmonton, has had a profound impact on public safety and his development and implementation of innovative AI tools has set a precedent in the modernization of law enforcement. 

The Lethbridge Police Service commends and congratulates our medal recipients for their service, dedication and commitment.