This is from the end of April of last year, but it highlights how the RCMP is riddled with systemic decay.

High-ranking RCMP officers think it’s completely okay to lie to both Crown prosecutors and defense attorneys.

RCMP Sgt. John Roskam lied in a memo to lawyers concerned with the integrity of the wiretaps being gathered as evidence, and whether the RCMP was compiyng with court orders in respect of those wiretaps.  Roskam was the head of the wiretap unit, and it was in that capacity that he issued two memos, one true and one false.

Just over a year ago he was under cross-examination in court, and that’s when he admitted his crime.

“I was flabbergasted that a senior police officer would fabricate disclosure in a criminal matter,” said Michael Lacy, the defence lawyer who discovered the existence of the real and fake memos last fall when he asked provincial prosecutors in an unrelated case for documents related to RCMP wiretap procedures.

The following is from the court transcript of the case, where the admission was made.

“You knew when you were creating this document that you were committing what you believed to be a criminal offence, right?” asked Lacy.

“Hmm, hmm,” responded Roskam, who then answered “yes” when pressed on whether his actions may have violated the law. The senior officer described it as “bad judgment” to produce the fake memo.

Roskam was still in charge of the wiretap unit when he testified in court last fall and also a part of the RCMP security operations at the Vancouver Olympics, court documents state.

I’ll have to do some more searching to see if there were ever any criminal charges filed against this RCMP member.  I don’t think I’ll be holding my breath though.  The Blue Wall protects RCMP constables from murder… surely it will protect a ranking sergeant from such a tiny infraction as lying to court officers and the Crown.

Articles written 6 months ago reveal that Roskam was not reprimanded or suspended, and was still on active duty.

The defense lawyer in the case had this to say:

“It’s egregious, the idea someone in a trusted position, a supervisor of other police officers, was prepared to fabricate evidence . . . it’s hard to imagine how that person can ever be a police officer again.”

Apparently he fails to comprehend the nature of the internal culture of the RCMP.  They protect their own, no matter the cost to the public’s confidence or trust in what was, at one time, an honourable organization.

And as I expected, a thorough searching of the web comes up with absolutely nothing on the investigation into RCMP Sgt. John Roskam.  I’m shocked.  No really, I am.  I actually expected to find something more on this case, since it forced the Crown to drop all kinds of drug and organized crime cases.  You’d think that kind of f***up would warrant some kind of investigation and reporting back to the public, wouldn’t you?

Seems not.

The RCMP’s credibility and integrity have long since disappeared down the sewer because of cops like this.  It’s not helped that the RCMP itself seems determined to cover up these cases, and pray that we good citizens just forget, if not forgive.

Sorry guys… not possible.  You’ve managed to screw up way too many times and in way too public a fashion for that to happen.  It’s time to start being open and honest with us.  Yeah, I know… you can’t stand the thought.

Get over it.

Because the public has lost faith in you.  Completely.  Just go look at your own polls, if you don’t want to believe the public ones.

And while I couldn’t come up with anything more on the good Sergeant and his criminal actions, I did come across a really great post from a criminal defense lawyer in Calgary who also was deeply concerned about this case.   I heartily urge you to read David Chow’s commentary on this case.  You can find it on his blog, the aptly-named … And Justice for All.