http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/101017/national/rcmp_tensions
OTTAWA - An independent "workplace assessment" of the fractious RCMP has found that the tepid pace of reform inside the national police force frustrated some Mounties.
"On a range of reform issues, much has been accomplished, although much remains to be done," former spy chief Reid Morden says in a summary of the assessment process, obtained by The Canadian Press.
Tensions mounted in the upper echelons of the Mounties over the summer, with senior members accusing RCMP Commissioner William Elliott of bullying and abusive behaviour.
The Public Safety Department hired Morden, a past director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, to interview disgruntled RCMP members at Ottawa headquarters for a report on improving relations.
In his Aug. 25 synopsis prepared for Public Safety deputy minister Bill Baker, Morden notes the RCMP had not even successfully publicized changes that had taken place as part of its sweeping transformation efforts.
"Whatever the actual pace of reform/transformation, the accomplishments are not well known beyond such prominent items as the restoration of an allowance for cadets to train at the RCMP Depot."
Morden says an account of "objectives achieved or changes made" will soon be published. "Unfortunately, it has been over six months in gestation."
The Canadian Press obtained a copy of Morden's four-page synopsis under the Access to Information Act.
Morden interviewed two dozen people, including Elliott, the first civilian to lead the force, and several deputy and assistant commissioners, from Aug. 3 to 11. He spoke with the Elliott early in the process and again once other interviews — including those who complained about the commissioner's actions — were concluded.
"I felt it was only fair that he be given an opportunity to give his side of any one of these examples," Morden said in an interview.
He also spoke to David Brown, a Toronto lawyer whose 2007 report for the government concluded the RCMP was "horribly broken," and David McAusland, chair of the RCMP reform implementation council, an outside advisory body.
Morden gave Baker a verbal briefing of his "tentative observations and conclusions" on Aug. 13. "In the interim, my findings and recommendations have not changed," he writes.
Citing confidentiality, Morden declined to repeat what he told Baker. A Canadian Press request to interview Baker was declined.
In an email, the Public Safety Department said the government "will continue to reform and strengthen our national police force, and remains committed to ensuring that the RCMP continues to be a strong, accountable organization."
CBC recently reported that Elliott told staff in an email there will be changes "to our senior management team" after Morden found an unhealthy level of tension and concern about the progress of reforms.
Indeed, there have been rumours of an impending shakeup at Mounties headquarters. Some who complained about Elliott are watching carefully to see what happens.
In the letter, Morden says there is a "tremendous well of respect for the RCMP" among Canadians.
"It is not a stretch to say that, if that goodwill has wavered as a result of the problems encountered by the Force over the past five-plus years, it is accompanied by the wholehearted wish to see the Force right itself and perform to the high standards that are central to its traditions.
"This is no less true in the leadership and management of the Force than it is for the constable on the front line," Morden adds.
"Thus the basic integrity of the RCMP, including its leadership and management, must be the centrepiece in considering what actions should be taken to resolve the current rifts within the management of the Force."
Not listed among the interviewees is former assistant commissioner Mike McDonell, who left the force to join the Ontario Provincial Police.
McDonell complained in a July 21 letter to Public Safety Minister Vic Toews that the desire of rank-and-file members for change within the beleaguered RCMP was thwarted by "inertia" under Elliott.
Morden did talk to the recently retired Bill Sweeney, who worked closely with Elliott at headquarters and has since spoken critically of the commissioner's style.
Rod Knecht recently took over Sweeney's post as senior deputy commissioner, serving as Elliott's right-hand man on front-line policing issues.
In a July 28 note to members in Alberta, where he was then commanding officer, Knecht said the force's senior executive was committed to the best interests of the force. "Despite media reports to the contrary, they will continue to work together towards the goal of positive change in the RCMP while the (Morden) review is underway."
*** The RCMP needs surgery. Let's just hope they don't get left in the proverbial emergency room and die a slow and painful death. I would rather hear, they are not there, for they have risen! :) MS ***
Showing posts with label RCMP culture change. Show all posts
Showing posts with label RCMP culture change. Show all posts
Sunday, October 17, 2010
RCMP NEEDS ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT IN B.C.
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/101017/national/rcmp_contract
VANCOUVER - The RCMP needs an attitude adjustment and the shift will need to be part of any new deal British Columbia and other provinces negotiate for future policing services, says B.C.'s attorney general.
Mike de Jong told reporters after a justice ministers meeting last week that he and his colleagues in other provinces are looking for a direct line of accountability between the RCMP and the provincial jurisdiction.
A "cultural shift" needs to accompany the structural shift that they are negotiating, the minister said.
"The RCMP needs to be accountable both provincially and at the community level."
But a long-time police psychologist says the RCMP instead need transformational change to save the force from itself.
Mounties provide policing services under contract in all provinces except Quebec and Ontario and an agreement negotiated in 1992 will expire in 2012.
British Columbia is the largest user of RCMP services in Canada, and de Jong said the province is using its lead role in contract talks to force change from the national police force.
Shortly after the results of the inquiry into the death of Robert Dziekanski, de Jong announced that a civilian investigation office would be established to investigate in-custody deaths and severe injuries involving municipal police and RCMP.
Dziekanski died after being jolted by an RCMP Taser several times at Vancouver's airport. The incident was caught on video and the resulting public furor over the death tarnished the once-squeaky clean image of the Mounties.
The incident was the peak in a series of Mountie missteps across the country in the last few years.
Mike Webster is a police psychologist and worked with the RCMP for decades before he spoke out during the Dziekanski inquiry.
He said the cultural shift de Jong is proposing won't be as easy as the minister believes.
"They're not going to change. You can have (police) report to the municipalities ... but that's not going to bring about an attitude change, you're not going to rekindle the moral of the membership or rekindle the trust in confidence in the public."
He said in an interview Sunday that type of change would be incremental.
Instead, he said "a transformational change would see the RCMP transformed into an entirely different organization with a much greater chance to survive."
He compared such a change to auto giant General Motors before and after the world's financial collapse.
"They swept the house clean of the old guard," he said. "They've downsized, they've knocked out middle management and so on, and they just might survive. That's the kind of thing the RCMP needs to undergo."
He said that would mean a change by the federal government of the RCMP Act.
De Jong said the federal government has been receptive to the idea that RCMP officers account both to the province and local communities for their actions.
The attorney general wouldn't say yes or no when asked if there was any chance the RCMP wouldn't get the contract.
He did say B.C.'s municipal leaders have told him they want the RCMP.
"They like that relationship, for all its shortcomings. So on the basis of those instructions we are actively working."
Webster said there's one main reason cities want the Mounties.
"They want the RCMP because RCMP is the Wal-Mart of policing. They're much cheaper than getting their own police services."
He said the mayors of those municipalities aren't interested in good policing, they're interested in cheap policing.
Webster said the RCMP cuts corners on the backs of its members .
He said the result is sick officers who suffer more stress at work and depression than the general public.
"The RCMP gets away with operating so cheaply because it asks so much of its membership."
Instead, Webster believes the RCMP should restrict its role in Canada to something similar to the FBI in the United States.
*** It's more than just in B.C. that they need an attitude adjustment...MS***
VANCOUVER - The RCMP needs an attitude adjustment and the shift will need to be part of any new deal British Columbia and other provinces negotiate for future policing services, says B.C.'s attorney general.
Mike de Jong told reporters after a justice ministers meeting last week that he and his colleagues in other provinces are looking for a direct line of accountability between the RCMP and the provincial jurisdiction.
A "cultural shift" needs to accompany the structural shift that they are negotiating, the minister said.
"The RCMP needs to be accountable both provincially and at the community level."
But a long-time police psychologist says the RCMP instead need transformational change to save the force from itself.
Mounties provide policing services under contract in all provinces except Quebec and Ontario and an agreement negotiated in 1992 will expire in 2012.
British Columbia is the largest user of RCMP services in Canada, and de Jong said the province is using its lead role in contract talks to force change from the national police force.
Shortly after the results of the inquiry into the death of Robert Dziekanski, de Jong announced that a civilian investigation office would be established to investigate in-custody deaths and severe injuries involving municipal police and RCMP.
Dziekanski died after being jolted by an RCMP Taser several times at Vancouver's airport. The incident was caught on video and the resulting public furor over the death tarnished the once-squeaky clean image of the Mounties.
The incident was the peak in a series of Mountie missteps across the country in the last few years.
Mike Webster is a police psychologist and worked with the RCMP for decades before he spoke out during the Dziekanski inquiry.
He said the cultural shift de Jong is proposing won't be as easy as the minister believes.
"They're not going to change. You can have (police) report to the municipalities ... but that's not going to bring about an attitude change, you're not going to rekindle the moral of the membership or rekindle the trust in confidence in the public."
He said in an interview Sunday that type of change would be incremental.
Instead, he said "a transformational change would see the RCMP transformed into an entirely different organization with a much greater chance to survive."
He compared such a change to auto giant General Motors before and after the world's financial collapse.
"They swept the house clean of the old guard," he said. "They've downsized, they've knocked out middle management and so on, and they just might survive. That's the kind of thing the RCMP needs to undergo."
He said that would mean a change by the federal government of the RCMP Act.
De Jong said the federal government has been receptive to the idea that RCMP officers account both to the province and local communities for their actions.
The attorney general wouldn't say yes or no when asked if there was any chance the RCMP wouldn't get the contract.
He did say B.C.'s municipal leaders have told him they want the RCMP.
"They like that relationship, for all its shortcomings. So on the basis of those instructions we are actively working."
Webster said there's one main reason cities want the Mounties.
"They want the RCMP because RCMP is the Wal-Mart of policing. They're much cheaper than getting their own police services."
He said the mayors of those municipalities aren't interested in good policing, they're interested in cheap policing.
Webster said the RCMP cuts corners on the backs of its members .
He said the result is sick officers who suffer more stress at work and depression than the general public.
"The RCMP gets away with operating so cheaply because it asks so much of its membership."
Instead, Webster believes the RCMP should restrict its role in Canada to something similar to the FBI in the United States.
*** It's more than just in B.C. that they need an attitude adjustment...MS***
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
RCMP COMPLAINTS BACKLOG DUE TO FOT-DRAGGING
*** Imagine my shock. MS ***
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/100914/national/rcmp_complaints_backlog
OTTAWA - The RCMP has been sitting on a pile of complaint findings for months, sparking concern about timely justice for those who have grievances against the national police force.
The Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP says that as of last week it had been waiting 300 days or more for final signoff from the Mounties on 11 complaint investigations. Among them was a high-profile probe into the case of Robert Dziekanski, who died after being stunned with a Taser at Vancouver airport in October 2007.
Another 11 reports have been on the RCMP's desk for between 180 and 300 days, while a further 22 were sent to the force between 30 and 180 days ago.
The Mounties say they've simply been too busy with the Olympics and international leaders' summits to keep up.
The commission aims to shepherd each complaint through the process — from the initial lodging of the complaint through to its conclusion — as swiftly as possible, and within one calendar year, said Jamie Robertson, a commission spokesman.
Before a final report is issued, the commission sends an interim report to RCMP Commissioner William Elliott for comments on findings and recommendations — a phase of the process for which the commission allots 30 days.
Although the commission applies strict standards to its turnaround times for handling complaints, it can "only recommend that the RCMP does the same," Robertson said.
Among the other reports awaiting an RCMP response are the commission's probes of:
— The RCMP arrest of Robert Knipstrom of Chilliwack, B.C., who died in hospital in November 2007 days after being Tasered, pepper sprayed and hit with a baton;
— The Mounties' investigation into how a Conservative MP listened in on a 2008 conference call of the federal NDP caucus.
Sgt. Pat Flood, an RCMP spokeswoman, said the force is "cognizant of the backlog" of interim reports.
The force has been delayed in responding due to the "reallocation of resources in recent months to meet the security obligations of the Olympics and G8-G20 summits," she said.
In last year's annual report, the complaints commission had applauded the RCMP commissioner for delivering replies to all but two outstanding investigation files from 2007 and 2008 by the end of March 2009.
This year, however, the backlog has again mushroomed.
Robertson said while the complaints commission "acknowledges the significant strains that security obligations in connection with the Winter Olympics and G8-G20 placed on the RCMP, as stewards of the public complaints process (the commission) is concerned about the accumulation ... and the delays which result."
A Conservative government bill introduced in June to overhaul the complaints commission wouldn't remedy the problem.
Paul Kennedy, the former chairman of the commission, said in a recent interview the lack of legislated time limits for the RCMP to respond to interim complaint findings was "an intolerable situation."
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/100914/national/rcmp_complaints_backlog
OTTAWA - The RCMP has been sitting on a pile of complaint findings for months, sparking concern about timely justice for those who have grievances against the national police force.
The Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP says that as of last week it had been waiting 300 days or more for final signoff from the Mounties on 11 complaint investigations. Among them was a high-profile probe into the case of Robert Dziekanski, who died after being stunned with a Taser at Vancouver airport in October 2007.
Another 11 reports have been on the RCMP's desk for between 180 and 300 days, while a further 22 were sent to the force between 30 and 180 days ago.
The Mounties say they've simply been too busy with the Olympics and international leaders' summits to keep up.
The commission aims to shepherd each complaint through the process — from the initial lodging of the complaint through to its conclusion — as swiftly as possible, and within one calendar year, said Jamie Robertson, a commission spokesman.
Before a final report is issued, the commission sends an interim report to RCMP Commissioner William Elliott for comments on findings and recommendations — a phase of the process for which the commission allots 30 days.
Although the commission applies strict standards to its turnaround times for handling complaints, it can "only recommend that the RCMP does the same," Robertson said.
Among the other reports awaiting an RCMP response are the commission's probes of:
— The RCMP arrest of Robert Knipstrom of Chilliwack, B.C., who died in hospital in November 2007 days after being Tasered, pepper sprayed and hit with a baton;
— The Mounties' investigation into how a Conservative MP listened in on a 2008 conference call of the federal NDP caucus.
Sgt. Pat Flood, an RCMP spokeswoman, said the force is "cognizant of the backlog" of interim reports.
The force has been delayed in responding due to the "reallocation of resources in recent months to meet the security obligations of the Olympics and G8-G20 summits," she said.
In last year's annual report, the complaints commission had applauded the RCMP commissioner for delivering replies to all but two outstanding investigation files from 2007 and 2008 by the end of March 2009.
This year, however, the backlog has again mushroomed.
Robertson said while the complaints commission "acknowledges the significant strains that security obligations in connection with the Winter Olympics and G8-G20 placed on the RCMP, as stewards of the public complaints process (the commission) is concerned about the accumulation ... and the delays which result."
A Conservative government bill introduced in June to overhaul the complaints commission wouldn't remedy the problem.
Paul Kennedy, the former chairman of the commission, said in a recent interview the lack of legislated time limits for the RCMP to respond to interim complaint findings was "an intolerable situation."
Monday, August 23, 2010
RCMP IS A BROKEN ORGANIZATION - CRIMINOLOGIST
*** What else is new. MS ***
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/100823/national/pickton_report_rcmp
VICTORIA - The RCMP is facing criticism in the wake of a scathing Vancouver Police Department report detailing investigative missteps on the hunt for serial killer Robert Pickton.
A British Columbia criminologist and former London police officer said Mounties are trained to believe they are Canada's top cops, while considering other provincial and municipal officers as below standard.
"There's long been tensions between the RCMP and municipal police services," said Rob Gordon of Simon Fraser University. "The RCMP know all, cannot be told anything, and they're the ones alone who stand between chaos and civilized society."
He pointed to deep-rooted RCMP arrogance on the Pickton investigation, where Mounties and Vancouver police officers withheld information from each other about women who'd been reported missing from the Downtown Eastside since the mid- to late 1990s.
Pickton's crimes came to light only when a rookie Mountie showed up looking for weapons on the former pig farmer's sprawling suburban Port Coquitlam property in 2002.
"There's ample evidence to indicate that the RCMP does not play well with others and most certainly was not playing well with others in relation to the Pickton matter," said Gordon.
The Vancouver police report, authored by Deputy Chief Const. Doug LePard, said both its own department and the RCMP are to blame for errors made during the investigation.
Thirteen women disappeared from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside after the city's police force first forwarded information about Pickton to the RCMP, according the police review.
The 400-page document said mistakes prevented police from arresting Pickton until 2002 — years after officers first started looking at Pickton as they investigated reports of missing sex workers — but that he could have been caught earlier.
RCMP haven't commented on LePard's report, saying they need to read it first, but have already stated they disagree with some of its conclusions.
Gordon noted other examples of RCMP problems were highlighted in the recent Air India inquiry report, which criticized the Mounties for fighting turf wars with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service during the investigation into twin Air India bombings in 1985, killing a total of 331 people.
Gordon said Mounties have also caused problems with the various Vancouver-area combined police teams fighting gang violence.
He said a Vancouver police biker gang expert was drummed out of his post in a combined RCMP municipal team by the Mounties.
"He was a sergeant with the VPD, been a project leader, and ran into all kinds of difficulty," he said. "The guy was an expert, but was treated very poorly by his RCMP colleagues."
Former Vancouver police officer Doug MacKay-Dunn, who served in the Downtown Eastside and retired in 2001 after 31 years of service, said he encountered difficulties working with Mounties.
"At that point, the RCMP didn't necessarily get along that well with other organizations," he said. "They didn't like being told what to do. They were Canada's national force and they considered themselves the cream of the cream. They figured they were the best of the best."
MacKay-Dunn, now a councillor in the District of North Vancouver, said he was one of the first officers to believe a serial killer could be responsible for the disappearances of dozens of women from the Downtown Eastside.
He said he consistently encountered resistance from RCMP brass throughout his career, but rank-and-file officers from all forces seemed to get along.
But MacKay-Dunn and Gordon both agree that the RCMP should not have its current 20-year service contract in British Columbia renewed.
The current RCMP contract in British Columbia expires in 2012.
"Absolutely, don't do it," MacKay-Dunn said.
Gordon called the RCMP a broken organization, and trying to change the Mounties would be like "bending granite."
He warned the current Liberal government against signing any new contract with the Mounties.
"If they are going for another 20 years and the province signs off on it, the current government deserves to fall," Gordon said.
The RCMP launched a massive search on Pickton's farm in 2002, uncovering the remains or DNA of 33 women. He was charged with 27 counts of murder and eventually convicted in the murders of six women.
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/100823/national/pickton_report_rcmp
VICTORIA - The RCMP is facing criticism in the wake of a scathing Vancouver Police Department report detailing investigative missteps on the hunt for serial killer Robert Pickton.
A British Columbia criminologist and former London police officer said Mounties are trained to believe they are Canada's top cops, while considering other provincial and municipal officers as below standard.
"There's long been tensions between the RCMP and municipal police services," said Rob Gordon of Simon Fraser University. "The RCMP know all, cannot be told anything, and they're the ones alone who stand between chaos and civilized society."
He pointed to deep-rooted RCMP arrogance on the Pickton investigation, where Mounties and Vancouver police officers withheld information from each other about women who'd been reported missing from the Downtown Eastside since the mid- to late 1990s.
Pickton's crimes came to light only when a rookie Mountie showed up looking for weapons on the former pig farmer's sprawling suburban Port Coquitlam property in 2002.
"There's ample evidence to indicate that the RCMP does not play well with others and most certainly was not playing well with others in relation to the Pickton matter," said Gordon.
The Vancouver police report, authored by Deputy Chief Const. Doug LePard, said both its own department and the RCMP are to blame for errors made during the investigation.
Thirteen women disappeared from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside after the city's police force first forwarded information about Pickton to the RCMP, according the police review.
The 400-page document said mistakes prevented police from arresting Pickton until 2002 — years after officers first started looking at Pickton as they investigated reports of missing sex workers — but that he could have been caught earlier.
RCMP haven't commented on LePard's report, saying they need to read it first, but have already stated they disagree with some of its conclusions.
Gordon noted other examples of RCMP problems were highlighted in the recent Air India inquiry report, which criticized the Mounties for fighting turf wars with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service during the investigation into twin Air India bombings in 1985, killing a total of 331 people.
Gordon said Mounties have also caused problems with the various Vancouver-area combined police teams fighting gang violence.
He said a Vancouver police biker gang expert was drummed out of his post in a combined RCMP municipal team by the Mounties.
"He was a sergeant with the VPD, been a project leader, and ran into all kinds of difficulty," he said. "The guy was an expert, but was treated very poorly by his RCMP colleagues."
Former Vancouver police officer Doug MacKay-Dunn, who served in the Downtown Eastside and retired in 2001 after 31 years of service, said he encountered difficulties working with Mounties.
"At that point, the RCMP didn't necessarily get along that well with other organizations," he said. "They didn't like being told what to do. They were Canada's national force and they considered themselves the cream of the cream. They figured they were the best of the best."
MacKay-Dunn, now a councillor in the District of North Vancouver, said he was one of the first officers to believe a serial killer could be responsible for the disappearances of dozens of women from the Downtown Eastside.
He said he consistently encountered resistance from RCMP brass throughout his career, but rank-and-file officers from all forces seemed to get along.
But MacKay-Dunn and Gordon both agree that the RCMP should not have its current 20-year service contract in British Columbia renewed.
The current RCMP contract in British Columbia expires in 2012.
"Absolutely, don't do it," MacKay-Dunn said.
Gordon called the RCMP a broken organization, and trying to change the Mounties would be like "bending granite."
He warned the current Liberal government against signing any new contract with the Mounties.
"If they are going for another 20 years and the province signs off on it, the current government deserves to fall," Gordon said.
The RCMP launched a massive search on Pickton's farm in 2002, uncovering the remains or DNA of 33 women. He was charged with 27 counts of murder and eventually convicted in the murders of six women.
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