Some RCMP members just can’t stop themselves from behaving badly, and the entire force looks bad because of it.

A story out of Kamloops, BC leaves me shaking my head.  Four RCMP officers and three civilian municipal staff at a Kamloops jail are under criminal and internal code of conduct investigations for their action, or rather their inaction, and watching of two inmates having an “intimate encounter” inside a jail cell.

The two female inmates, whose “encounter” lasted between 30 and 60 minutes, were placed in the same cell.  The cell has closed-circuit video cameras placed so that staff can see what they’re up to, and stop any inappropriate behaviour.

The four RCMP members (ranks not identified) and three civilian jail staff watched the video feed for about 7 minutes, news sources say.  And they failed to put an end to the encounter even after they supposedly stopped watching.

I’ve been reading a lot of stories, and posting my thoughts on the lack of police accountability in recent weeks… I did manage to find one positive story and reported it here too, but it seems almost daily I’m coming across yet another story of RCMP misconduct.

Among other things, it appears the RCMP screening process for recruits really needs an overhaul.

I remember, as a child, having RCMP constables in our house as friends… men of strong character… decent men who actually wanted to protect the public they felt they served…  I’m sure some of them still exist… but we sure don’t hear about them, do we?

That saddens me.  How about you?