More RCMP Drama

Well this is suspicious. An RCMP deputy commissioner who was among senior officers raising concerns about commissioner William Elliott's management style says he had the duty "to stand up" and complain to federal authorities. He does kinda look like Gordon Campbell.

Souccar and several other RCMP executives complained in July to the authorities that Elliott, the first civilian to head the commission, was verbally abusive, arrogant and insulting. During his testimony, Souccar said "there is no longer any doubt" about whether the next RCMP commissioner should be a police officer.

I'm having trouble with the math. He claims Elliott was arrogant, insulting and verbally abusive. Is this something new? Nope. That's what Elliot was supposed to fix. What's new is the fact that he's a civilian. So the real beef is the fact that he's a civilian not the fact that he's abusive because that is what we hear management at the RCMP is.

Although I completely support the creation of a civilian agency to hear and oversee complaints of police misconduct, I'm not entirely sure the head of the RCMP should be a civilian. In the army, would you have a general who has never been a soldier?

I think the issue of abuse in the RCMP should be addressed. It is entrenched in their training program and spilling over into their management and their kick the cat treatment of civilians they are supposed to serve and protect.

Wait a minute... Jim Chu as RCMP Police commissioner? We don't want to lose him. He'd be great for the job but the old boys club in Vancouver would take over the detachment. As if they haven't already.

Jim Chu talked about the creation of a civilian agency to oversee complaints of police misconduct. The motion on the floor at the BC Legislature specifically refers to the RCMP not all police forces in BC. Perhaps if Jim Chu became the RCMP Police commissioner, he'd help establish the civilian agency for police complaints. That compromise might just restore public confidence in the RCMP.

As I've said before I don't think a Regional Police force in BC would solve anything. Not when all our regional police forces have such lack of public accountability and problems with use of force on civilians. A civilian agency to oversee complaints is a must because it overcomes the conflict of interest. Yet I really don't understand how you could have or want a civilian as the Police Commissioner. Jim Chu would be an excellent choice but we would be sad to lose him. If it meant doing something better for the country at large then so be it.