EDMONTON — Alberta’s police watchdog says there will be no criminal charges for two police officers who broke rules when they surveilled a legislature member.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team says there are reasonable grounds to believe two Lethbridge police officers committed offences when they did a criminal record check on local New Democrat MLA Shannon Phillips.

But it says the Alberta Prosecution Service determined the circumstances didn’t meet its test to go to court.

The information is contained in a letter from the agency to the politician’s lawyer, Michael Bates.

The issue began in 2017, when an officer overheard Phillips discussing environmental issues in a coffee shop.

He texted a fellow officer and the two subsequently searched Phillips in police databases and photographed and followed her.

The two officers received temporary demotions.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 27, 2024.

The Canadian Press