RCMP officer avoids driving test over alleged racist comments

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A British Columbia RCMP officer who participated in a private chat group in which racist, sexist and harassing comments were allegedly made has had his code of conduct charges against him dropped because it took too long to initiate a hearing process.

The May 29 findings of the three-member ethics committee were recently published online by the RCMP.

The council's decision is being appealed by the RCMP.

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Const. Cameron Lang, who reported his participation in a group in Coquitlam that included 12 police officers, was facing conduct charges that he failed to treat each person with respect and courtesy and engaged in workplace harassment, s he behaved in a manner likely to discredit the force and failed. use government-issued property only for authorized purposes and activities.

Three other officers — Const. Philip Dick, Const. Ian Solven and Const. Mersad Mesbah – will be heard in September for similar allegations. A hearing decision may result in dismissal.

The RCMP was initially made aware of the allegations in May 2021 when an officer complained that racist, sexist and harassing comments aimed at him, other officers and members of the public had been made by members of his watch, a team of officers assigned to patrol a specific area, according to the information contained in the board's decision.

The allegations against Lang took place in Coquitlam between January 1, 2019 and May 15, 2021.

The three-member ethics committee, led by Chair Sara Novell, concluded that the one-year deadline to initiate the disciplinary hearing process had not been met and, therefore, a hearing into the allegations could not take place.

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Alleged violations of RCMP officer behavior are first reviewed internally by a disciplinary authority, who is usually a senior officer or commanding officer.

A 2022 annual report on RCMP conduct issues shows missing deadlines occurred in only a handful of more than 300 cases over a five-year period.

The commission's decision provides no details on the language allegedly used by the group, but notes that an interim investigation report found that “the inappropriate behavior” took place in person, on the company's mobile data system. GRC and in a third-party discussion group. .

The chatroom used by the agents was Signal, an encrypted service for instant messaging, voice calls and video calls.

Investigators concluded that agents other than those accused may have some culpability for failing to report “blatantly racist or sexist content” in the chat.

RCMP officials in British Columbia said Lang remains operational and his duty status is subject to ongoing review and assessment. The other three officers are currently suspended with pay and their duty status is also subject to ongoing review and assessment, said BC RCMP spokesperson Staff Sgt. Kris Clark.

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The conduct committee's decision provides no details on the exact language Lang used, but notes that investigators found he was the third most active participant in the chat group, with 814 messages.

The board noted that the investigation into Lang's conduct, outlined in a conduct investigation warrant letter, contains only one allegation of making racist or otherwise offensive remarks toward members public, and that no investigation was ever ordered into the other allegations of posting a discriminatory video in the Signal Group Chat or misusing the mobile data terminal.

The RCMP had argued that knowledge of the alleged code violations was not acquired until May 2022, a year after the allegations were first reported, because investigators had to sift through thousands of messages to know the details. This means the launch of the hearing process took place on time, the RCMP argued.

But the ethics committee disagreed, saying the disciplinary authority does not need to know all the details of an alleged offense to trigger the one-year statute of limitations because an investigation would have to be ordered when there is an appearance of contravention of a provision of the Code. of good conduct, a relatively low threshold.

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“We conclude that Inspector (Darren) Carr obtained sufficient information that the Claimant had apparently violated the Code of Conduct with respect to the Signal group chat on May 14, 2021, when the Claimant self-reported his chat participation,” the board said. wrote in his decision.

“Inspector Carr, as Level 2 Ethics Authority to the Claimant, was required to order an investigation into the alleged misconduct to determine whether the Claimant had in fact contravened the Code of Conduct. But he failed to do so,” the board said.

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