After my "get to the point" post about the latest RCMP harassment charges by a female officer in Surrey, one reader sent me a link to another case involving Sherry Benson-Podolchuk who wrote a book about her experiences in the RCMP entitled Women not Wanted.
I'll admit the situation is out of control. Bob Paulson has his hands full in turning the tide of arrogance and abuse within the force. He now claims women should have a greater role in RCMP leadership. True but just not any women. Women who are competent at the job. No doubt there are many. We just don't need the status quoe to recruit a handful of women to do their dirty work for them like Barbara George did.
Someone else sent in an article about two Manitoba Mounties convicted of beating a handcuffed prisoner. They illegally arresting an innocent man, beat him and then jointly tried to make him look bad in police reports.
This is another example of why the charter of Rights is so important and why the new US National Defense Authorization Act is so bad. In a free society, you need to be charged with a crime before being arrested. You are entitled to speak with a lawyer and have the right to a fair trial. The NDAA removes those requirements and lets the military arrest whoever they want, whenever they want and do whatever they want with them. If that act was passed in Canada, these two Mounties could not have been charged.
It appears that in the Manitoba case, pride was the root of the problem. Schulman convicted the officers of assault in September. He said the two officers “exaggerated” Papineau’s actions in their police notes and reports, not knowing the assault was captured on a security video.
They were outside a Grand Beach bar. The suspect complied and gave the police his id. The suspect admitted to snatching it back from the officer when he was done and started walking back to the bar. The officer then tackled him from behind, arrested him without charge, beat him while handcuffed and held him over night. The guy snatched back his id and the p=officers ego was bruised so he over compensated.
Again I'm going to say to fix the problem we need to begin at the beginning. We need to change Depot. We don't need to make it any easier. We just need to clean it up and get rid of the abuse. Sure officers face abuse on the streets. That doesn't mean they need to face it in the office as well. We need to empower officers to withstand abuse by building their self esteem not by teaching them abuse is acceptable and you need to abuse new recruits to teach them a lesson.
Recently, Ian Atkins, a retired superintendent was on The Fifth Estate and interviewed about a RCMP officer accused of assaulting and sexually harassing four female colleagues in the late 1990s. The female victims were also on the televised episode.
The way to change this is very simple. Charge, try, convict and sentence this species of "policeman" to long prison terms. Offer immunity to policemen who provide information on other officers. As it stands, police criminals (That's what they are) suffer little to no consequences for their actions. But on the other hand, neither do many non-police criminals....
ReplyDeleteSeriously, a conviction for a drunken off duty assault/robbery with no penalty assessed and an absolute discharge followed by return to duty is a joke, and reinforces the belief (and reality) that "We're the Police, we can do whatever we want".
4-5 years for the same 2 offenses would send a message, and be a considerable deterrent to police officer's who think they are above the law.
I'm always skeptical of these cases. It's always sexual harassment according to the female. Because they are a 'minority' we pander to anything they want.
ReplyDeleteIf a girl flashed me, as a white male, nobody would take me seriously if I felt I was sexually harassed. Personally, I would quite enjoy it and drop whatever I was doing, but you get the point.
Like the guy was talking about your 'homphobic' ways in the other thread (I laughed at that). All these 'discriminated' groups are seeking rules and rights for protection. Yet white, heterosexual males are becoming the minority when it comes to legal equality. (if you can even call it that)
I agree flashing someone is different than committing rape. It’s still totally inappropriate in the workplace. Yet there have been many accusations of RCMP officers raping co workers. There does seem to be a huge problem in the force.
ReplyDeleteIt's way, way worse than ANYTHING we think; if ya just read on in the articles;
ReplyDeleteThere's nearly FIFTY RCMP Officers off-duty because of workplace harassment; being paid FULL-TIME! Just in our Province! That is just mind-boggling! I had no idea of this and I doubt the public knows it either!
"...the 48 officers the RCMP says are off the job in B.C. because of what the force calls workplace conflict." (!!!)
"The officers, who asked CBC News not use their names, say they are continually bullied and harassed by their superiors."
"Many of the people in charge of us are acting without principle, without morals, without ethics. Sometimes you catch yourself thinking, 'Is this person even a police officer?' It's that shocking," one officer said."
"One Mountie believes the toxic work environment is costing taxpayers because the officers are off duty with full pay."
"I know the taxpaying citizens have suffered as a result of the lies," the officer said. "They are not getting the policing they are paying for out of their taxes."
That is just shocking & disgusting; the Force is Sick!
"Webster (Police Psychiatrist) said some officers have been off the job for years despite a clean bill of health because the force uses unlimited sick leave to get rid of Mounties who complain."
"The member escapes into this very strange, very fiscally unsound and organizationally perplexing, unlimited paid sick time," the psychiatrist said."
http://tinyurl.com/c6l72fy
Like many folks, I thought perhaps these were just individual cases that had no bearing on the RCMP as a whole. So much for that idea! Fifty personnel off for un-limitted time on our dime!
There is NO WAY one person can change this sick Force; which I now feel MUST be removed from BC!
I recall hearing there was a large number of RCMP officers off on leave. Perhaps it is indeed because of the problems outlined. Sounds like it’s too late to get rid of the RCMP in BC since the tainted Liberals just renewed their contract.
ReplyDelete