One of the things I love about the RCMP is their willingness to allow their constables to earn extra cash on the side. Sometimes that side job gets in the way though, when there is no oversight of those “side jobs”. Such is the case of former Kamloops RCMP Constable Randi Love.

Ms. Love faces three counts of selling cocaine while serving as an RCMP Constable.  It’s not very good, to say the least, for the RCMP’s image to have one of their own busted for dealing drugs.  The last thing the RCMP needs is more tarnish.

What is quite unlike a cop being charged with a crime is that Randi Love actually seems to take it seriously.  Unlike my favourite RCMP whipping boy former RCMP Constable Monty Robinson, the moment Ms. Love learned she was the subject of a criminal investigation she resigned from the RCMP.  In so doing she forfeited years of her salary while on paid vacation, something Monty Robinson took advantage of for a full 4 years before finally quitting.

For this I give Ms. Love full marks.  It shows she has some integrity, even if her choice of RCMP side job was less than desirable.  Ms. Love has a habit of poor choices though, the record shows. Her ex-boyfriend, disgraced RCMP Const. Trent Wessner, was convicted of fraud largely on her testimony.

Unfortunately for the RCMP Randi Love was the public face of the RCMP in Kamloops so her name is well known.  I say unfortunately because here we have the RCMP showing, one more time, that they do not do a very good job of screening recruits.  How else do you land drug dealers and thieves on our National Police Force?

That lowering of standards can only get worse with the latest revelation that recruits are no longer required to be Canadian citizens.

This just isn’t going to end well, is it?