Pubdate: Sat, 14 Oct 2006
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Copyright: 2006 The Vancouver Sun
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477
Author: Chad Skelton, Vancouver Sun

81 CASES OF MISCONDUCT BY MOUNTIES OVER 2 YEARS

Prostitute Hired - Documents Falsified - Excessive Force Used

More than 80 RCMP officers in B.C. have been found guilty of 
misconduct by the Mounties' internal affairs unit since January 2005 
for offences ranging from falsifying expense claims to having sex 
with a prostitute, The Vancouver Sun has learned.

In July, The Sun filed an Access to Information request to the RCMP 
asking for a list of all internal investigations launched into 
misconduct by B.C. officers.

The request asked only for those reports in which the allegations 
were substantiated.

In reply, the Mounties provided a list of 81 investigations against 
its B.C. members. Some of the cases involve more than one officer.

RCMP spokesman Cpl. Pierre Lemaitre said in an interview that, while 
81 cases of misconduct may seem high, it's only a tiny fraction of 
the 5,000 RCMP officers working in B.C.

"Does it hurt to hear of some bad apples? You bet," he said. "But I 
also know they're a small number compared to the good people who have 
dedicated themselves not only to the [RCMP] but to the communities they serve."

The list of substantiated investigations provided to The Sun includes:

n An officer who engaged "the services of a known sex-trade worker."

n An officer who was "driving in a suspicious manner in an area where 
prostitutes are known to frequent."

n An officer who used "foul and racist language" against someone 
while issuing a speeding ticket.

n An officer who held onto an exhibit, a firearm, for "personal use."

n An officer who tried to pressure another officer to do a favour for 
his brother-in-law, who was arrested for impaired driving.

n An officer who inappropriately identified himself as a police 
officer to get preferential treatment in a bar.

n An officer who submitted "inaccurate invoices and overtime claims."

n An officer who used "excessive force" against a suspect by 
deploying her Taser.

The list also includes three cases of officers found guilty of 
failing to safeguard police property after their computers were 
stolen -- in one case, with sensitive files on it.

Insp. Paul Darbyshire, head of the RCMP's Professional Standards unit 
- -- the new name for internal affairs -- said in an interview that 
none of the officers involved in the 81 cases have been fired. Most 
of them received counselling or a reprimand on their file. However, 
the RCMP says at least six have voluntarily resigned.

Thirteen officers -- including the officer who used her Taser -- are 
awaiting disciplinary hearings at which they could be subject to dismissal.

None of the officers' names were included in the records released to The Sun.

Darbyshire said his unit, which investigates officers in both B.C. 
and the Yukon, receives about 800 to 900 public complaints a year.

The RCMP's handling of internal investigations was in the news 
earlier this month after Const. Justin Harris -- accused of having 
sex with underage prostitutes in Prince George -- had the 
disciplinary charges against him thrown out because the Mounties took 
too long to bring their case against him.

The investigation into Harris's conduct predates the list of cases 
provided to The Sun.

Some of the allegations included in that list are so serious that 
they have already resulted in criminal charges against the officers involved.

Adam Jonathan Clarke, a former officer in Langley, was charged in 
June with two counts of child luring for allegedly using a community 
police office computer to convince a 12- and 15-year-old girl to 
produce child pornography for him.

And in December, B.C. Mountie James Douglas Macleod was charged with 
sexual assault after allegedly raping a woman at a Super Bowl party 
in Maple Ridge in February 2005.

Not all of the allegations of misconduct are so serious, however.

The list notes that one officer was found guilty of failing "to 
safeguard his force issued uniform" after loaning it to a friend to 
wear at a Halloween party.

And another officer was cited for "careless use of a Taser" after 
accidentally Tasering a fellow member twice in the leg while he sat at his desk.
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MAP posted-by: Elaine