Transit cop disciplined for posting racy pictures

Another twilight zone moment. Front page of today's Vancouver Province is a dramatic story about a female transit cop named Tabatha Swadron who was disciplined for posting "racy" photos of herself. However, when you look at the pictures, it's just her in a bikini. The Vancouver Province quoted a police spokesperson as stating “We were aware that she was involved in fitness activities and bodybuilding, but were not aware of the other ... activities.”

I'm not sure what these other activities include but this is nothing compared to Jim Brown. Tabatha was posting pictures of herself in bikini competitions. Jim Brown was posting pictures of himself naked wearing nothing but RCMP boots while holding a knife cutting off the lingerie of a female model. Pictures of Jim Brown naked are a crime all in itself. That guy is nasty. Yet fantasizing about raping someone at knife point isn't healthy. Especially for a cop.

The Province claims there is one "dominatrix" picture of Tabatha partially masked swinging and biting on a black leather whip in a tight cat-woman suit. Hardly sounds like it's worth all that drama to me. Once again it's nothing compared to what Jim Brown did and he most certainly wasn't in a bikini competition. He was posting BDSM pictures on a BDSM site looking for sexual partners who are into BDSM. I have a problem with portraying Tabatha as a dominatrix in some bizarre attempt to minimize the sexual harassment she faced at work.

There is a huge amount of sexual harassment within the RCMP and various other police departments in Canada. It is a huge ongoing problem. That's why there's a class action lawsuit before the courts. In Tabatha's case there was alleged to have been a lot of sexual banter from male coworkers that she was subjected to and on one occasion a male officer allegedly pulled Tabatha’s head toward his crotch. Tabatha didn’t complain, but a witness did. That became a sexual harassment complaint.

So here we have sexual harassment 101. If someone makes a sexual joke and the person they're telling it to isn't offended but someone else who hears it is, that's still sexual harassment. That is the law. That's what every other employer in Canada explains to their employees to fulfill their legal obligations to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. That is why this ongoing culture of sexual harassment within the police department is so archaic and bizarre. Tabatha participating in a bikini competition does not justify sexual harassment at work.

Speaking of bizarre, how many high ranking Surrey RCMP officers with aspiring political careers have done the dance of the flaming asshole naked in front of female coworkers? What heterosexual male would want to watch another man do that? At least they gave it the appropriate name.

The fact that Don Ray is still employed with the RCMP is proof the RCMP do not take their legal obligation to eliminate sexual harassment from the workplace seriously. The fact that he's in the BC Head office in the Surrey Green Timbers building with a bar on site paid for with tax dollars adds insult to injury. The fact that Stephen Harper continues to slander and harass whistle blowers is evidence he does not take his legal obligation to remove sexual harassment from the RCMP seriously either. It's called criminal negligence. Is there a breathalyzer outside the RCMP bar in Green Timbers for their drive home? Please advise.