Disband the RCMP Already!

The most cartoonish police scandal I can remember goes to the RCMP without question. The bombshell came in July 2016, when allegations of “rampant nudity, sexual harassment and bullying at Ottawa explosives training unit” surfaced; anything worse and it would have been Abu Graib all over again. I’m not making this up, and this is no hyperbole: there were countless reports of male officers walking around naked and even one lying across a female officer’s desk, to state just how acute the indecency and sexual harassment went. If it’d been a private corporation reaching this level of decadence, no matter how large or powerful, it would have gone under.

Unfortunately, this is far from being the end of it. I’ve been tracking police scandals in Canada for the past year and the RCMP dwarfs every other police corps combined in this respect. Allow me to give you a cursory review of the past year in RCMP bad press clusterfuck amid widespread calls for its dismantlement, in no particular order:

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Women working with RCMP suffered ‘shocking’ levels of violence, sex assaults, says report: Just in case you thought the bomb squad scandal was an isolated thing. From the article: Workplace pornography, sexual assault, racial slurs and grooming: those were some of the abuses suffered by women who worked and volunteered with the RCMP, according to a scathing report authored by three retired judges. It’s grown so big that the RCMP is facing a class-action lawsuit. A countrywide police force cannot be reeducated out of such as suffocating level of misogyny.

B.C. police watchdog finds grounds for charges against 3 RCMP officers in killing of Indigenous man: Here’s a case of multiple officers escalating a mere pursuit to the point of homicide, by sending a dog to chase after a fleeing suspect who posed no threat to the public. This is crass incompetence at best, murder at worst.

Why does RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki still have her job?: She’s accused of political interference in an investigation of the force’s response to the Portapique incidents—or lack thereof. Among other things.

94% of municipal police in Surrey, B.C., sign vow not to join ‘toxic’ RCMP: union: You’ve read that right: the RCMP is too toxic even for its municipal colleagues, and that’s saying something. From the article: The union says 275 of its 293 front-line officers have signed a statement rejecting any jump to what the pledge card describes as a “toxic” RCMP work environment that includes “a lack of local decision making, instability with regards to staying in Surrey and an absence of accountability.”

B.C. Mountie’s anti-Trudeau website raises concerns about discriminatory views within the RCMP: Okay, I can’t in good conscience object to even an RCMP officer spitting on Trudeau, but that’s as far as my agreement goes. The website in question is replete with far-right viewpoints mocking gays and immigrants, which isn’t the kind of image the police should be projecting; in fact, it outright amounts to discreditable conduct, which can lead to dismissal.

Manitoba RCMP officer admits to discreditable conduct for referring to teen girl as ‘jailbait’ on Instagram: More discreditable conduct. From the article: A Manitoba RCMP officer has admitted to discreditable conduct for incidents that include calling a 17-year-old girl “jailbait” in a message he sent to her on Instagram after pulling over a vehicle she was in.

Dani Cooper advocated to remove police from wellness checks. They were shot by police during their own crisis: In an ironic twist of fate, this recent victim of police shooting was an advocate for the mentally ill denouncing police conducting welfare checks. About 300 supporters turned up for his memorial.

RCMP superfan in Ontario spent 2 weeks in jail following N.S. massacre: You know a company has gotten utterly toxic once it starts preying on its most diehard fans, but the RCMP took it to ludicrous extremes by showing up at one’s home with guns drawn, having him locked up and jail and criminally charged for, essentially, collecting RCMP memorabilia. I bet he’s no longer a diehard fan now. But hey, the officers were feeling a bit nervous following the recent shooting by another diehard fan, so that excuses everything, right?

B.C. Mountie facing charges in alleged attempt to use position to pick up women: Exactly as the headline reads. Must I remind you of the rampant misogyny allegations?

Couple ‘entrapped’ by police in B.C. legislature bomb plot files suit against RCMP: Why go after genuine criminals and terrorists when law enforcement can farm them instead? From the article: “This was an undercover operation in which the police took two marginalized people, who had done no more than verbally fantasize about engaging in violence for jihadist purposes, and skillfully manipulated them into participating in an act of terrorism that was planned almost entirely by the police and which could not have been executed without overwhelming assistance from the police,” Bruce wrote.

Former B.C. Mountie committed discreditable conduct in homicide investigation: OPCC report: This one got disciplined for interfering with a murder investigation by communicating with a witness in the case, thus compromising the investigation.

RCMP resistant to change despite repeated calls for action: former senior Mountie: It’s not just me saying it, but multiple RCMP officers who left the force and are no longer afraid to break the omertà. From the article: Corley was among eight academics and bureaucrats who talked about community policing, a concept that Corley says was initially embraced by the RCMP but failed to take root. “The institutional culture is more powerful than any single leader or any single group of leaders,” he said.

Halifax RCMP constable charged with obstructing a peace officer: Read between the lines, and you get yet another instance of a police officer who thought colleagues don’t give each other tickets because cops are above the law.

‘Calls to Action’ issued 5 months after cops shoot B.C. man dead during ‘wellness’ check: Another instance of ‘welfare check’ leading to the death of the recipient. From the article: “Elder Jimmie called police that morning out of concern that he was a danger to himself. In response to this Elder’s call for help, the Emergency Response Team (whose officers wear military-style uniforms) and armed RCMP Officers were dispatched and surrounded his home,” their letter reads. “The RCMP’s lack of training around mental health, de-escalation and safe disarming techniques then saw them opening fire in his home where Jimmie was shot in the arm, leg, and twice in the heart. What began as a desperate cry for help ended in a senseless tragedy at the hands of the state when Jimmie was pronounced dead at the hospital.”

RCMP officer charged with assault after pinning man’s neck in arrest at Winnipeg airport: The RCMP had its own George Floyd moment in Manitoba in 2019. From the article: A Manitoba RCMP officer has been charged following a 2019 arrest during which a Mountie pressed his knee on the neck of a man at Winnipeg’s airport, while the man repeatedly cried “I can’t breathe.” Of course the officers had to confiscate the phone of the bystander who recorded the event; I bet they just failed to ‘accidentally’ delete the footage.

Ottawa directed RCMP to ban neck restraints, tear gas and rubber bullets. What does it mean for B.C.?: From the article: Some B.C. experts say Ottawa’s directive that the RCMP stop using neck restraints, tear gas and rubber bullets should have happened years ago. I agree with that assessment.

N.W.T. RCMP deploy controversial roadside cannabis screening devices: Unlike for alcohol, there is no reliable test to measure actual THC levels in the blood, only a test which can’t differentiate between it and 11-COOH THC, an inactive metabolite which can remain detectable up to three weeks after ingestion. But who cares, as long as it results in convictions? Not the RCMP, that’s for sure.

2 Mounties face code-of-conduct hearing over deletion of surveillance video: Allow me to just quote the article: “OK, question for you guys,” Bourque asked on the radio, according to the transcript. “Say, the video camera, where I took a brief video, didn’t stop recording and it video recorded for 25 minutes. Can we edit that to just 10 seconds?” By the way, the officer in question was put on paid vacation for over a year and only had to surrender a month’s pay in the end; where do I sign up?

Alberta teen with autism still traumatized weeks after RCMP arrested him at a playground: His only crime was to be weird, really. From the article: RCMP said they were told Ryley, whom they described as co-operative, was an adult. Officers decided to arrest him when the teen couldn’t tell them his name, detachment commander Insp. Ryan Comaniuk told a news conference on Oct. 5.

Ottawa committed to RCMP reform amid multiple inquiries: public safety minister: Even the government has to admit the RCMP has a huge PR problem. From the article: RCMP officers, he added, need more training and need to communicate better with the public — especially during emergencies such as the 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia and last month’s stabbings in Saskatchewan’s James Smith Cree Nation.

With trust collapsing in the RCMP, some call for ‘broken force’ to be rebuilt: Lots of people have lost faith in the RCMP in recent years, especially after Portapique. From the article: The revelations during the mass shooting inquiry are the latest to fuel a distrust in Canada’s national police force that some experts suggest has been building for years. There were calls this year from an Indigenous group in Newfoundland and Labrador and from a government committee examining systemic racism in British Columbia for those provinces to get rid of the RCMP, while Alberta’s United Conservative Party government is working on a plan to replace the Mounties with a provincial police force.

Crown seeks 2-year sentence for Richmond, B.C. Mountie who exposed himself to schoolgirls: I hope you’re not surprised by this one after reading about the Mounties’ misogynistic culture. From the article: At trial, the court heard that Seangio exposed himself to four girls, one just 14 years old, as well as undercover officers posing as private school students.

Officer quits RCMP task force over concerns about Fairy Creek enforcement: Another instance of a Mountie quitting in disgust over the institution’s repulsive culture of contempt for all outsiders. From the article: Allegations police smashed car windows, improperly seized personal property, fraternized with industry and private security workers, and wore controversial thin blue line patches were detailed in the officer’s report to the RCMP’s professional standards unit, obtained through a freedom-of-information (FOI) request.

Four RCMP vehicles and an ambulance torched in Smithers hotel parking lot: Activist terrorism is a strong signal the RCMP went way too far. Enough said.

Burnaby, B.C. RCMP officer killed on duty was on mental health and homeless outreach team: While she may have received a hero’s funeral, I’ve commented on just how wrong this whole idea that police officers conduct welfare checks was. Keep those uniforms away from vulnerable people who cannot answer police summons.

Family of Indigenous man fatally shot by Tofino RCMP shocked to hear no charges recommended: I swear these police interventions are state-sanctioned mass murder. From the article: “Police were called to that residence, there was a complaint of a woman being held against her will so the police responded for that reason and it was on arrival the interaction that occurred inside of the home that unfortunately led to an individual being shot and killed by police,” IIO Chief Civilian Director Ronald J. MacDonald told CHEK News Wednesday. It really begs the question: if the woman managed to place a call to the police, was anyone in immediate danger? Most likely not.

‘Significant’ number of prosecutions in question over evidence mishandling concerns: B.C. premier: From the article: In April 2021, B.C. Supreme Court Justice David Masuhara ruled that IHIT investigators demonstrated “systemic, flagrant disregard for charter-protected rights” in the case against Samandeep Gill, who was charged with second-degree murder and attempted murder in the 2011 killing of Manbir Kajla. Masuhara found the unit’s investigators had a “policy of noncompliance” with a section of the Criminal Code that outlines procedures for handling and retaining evidence seized during investigations, raising questions about compliance in other IHIT investigations conducted over the years. You’ve read this right: the RCMP made it a policy to mishandle evidence.

RCMP dog handler charged with assault after dog bites suspect in Abbotsford: I’d like to call all Mounties mad dogs but technically rabidness has been outsourced to its K-9 unit.

Off-duty B.C. Mountie charged for allegedly having loaded gun in vehicle: I wish every allegation were this mild, though. From the article: The BC Prosecution Service said Monday that Const. Olavo Castro, an officer with the B.C. Highway Patrol, was charged with one count of occupying a vehicle knowing there was a restricted firearm in it and one count of unauthorized possession of a loaded restricted firearm in a motor vehicle.

Some RCMP officers still aren’t taking sexual assault claims seriously enough, watchdog says: Of course it’s predictable since sexual assault is part of the Mounties’ training regimen and distinctive culture. From the article: “The commission found that some of the RCMP members’ approach and questioning of the woman was based on inappropriate myths and stereotypes about the conduct of sexual assault victims,” reads the case summary. “One example of such questioning involved comparing the woman’s behaviour to a preconceived notion of how she ‘should’ react. The Commission noted that it is widely recognized in law that there is no uniform or predictable victim response to a sexual assault.” In another RCMP case summarized by the CRCC, a woman reported that a man had touched her genital area over her clothes without her consent. The responding RCMP officers dismissed the complainant’s report of a sexual assault, suggested that the incident did not meet the level of a criminal offence and closed her file, said the CRCC case summary.

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I apologise if I missed your favourite Mountie scandal, but there are just too many to list.

In conclusion, while I merely advocate for cutting VicPD’s budget in half, such a measure would strike me as way too lenient for the RCMP. Time to give the entire force a lethal injection and watch it die with a smirk on our faces, because it’s rotten beyond saving.