3700 replies to this topic

[Victoria Watcher]

Typically the promotion timeline from Cst to Cpl in the RCMP is about 7-10 years. Maybe a little less under truly exceptional circumstances. Who knows perhaps she took time out to have children etc.....

 

Some police like to stay at the lower rank.  Less paperwork, less complex caseload.

[pontcanna]

Staff Sergeant Jen McNeil’s RCMP career took her to faraway places closer to home and she’s okay with that

Island District

2024-12-11


Staff Sergeant Jennifer McNeil in Nunavut last August

The one thing that attracted Staff Sergeant Jennifer McNeil to join the RCMP as a young recruit in 1998, was the possibility of seeing the world.

She grew up in Fort St. John, a small northern city in British Columbia with sub-artic temperatures and a hub for the resource and energy industries. The young 20-year-old looked forward to an exciting new career with the prospect of going beyond the confines of northern British Columbia.

I thought I’d join the RCMP and see the world and my first posting was in Chetwynd, BC, says S/Sgt. McNeil laughing at the thought of it. Chetwynd is about an hour-and-a- half away from her hometown and S/Sgt. McNeil wouldn’t leave the province in her RCMP capacity until she was posted to Cape Breton in 2016 for three years. But in the end, she was okay with that.

The experience in Chetwynd introduced her to reserve life and policing within Indigenous communities. S/Sgt. McNeil is Indigenous but had not grown up on a reserve. When I worked on the reserves, there was a lot of thinking on your feet. I would have to approach an issue differently and it would be light years from what a six-foot-male police officer would be, but the end result was the same, she says. An admitted life-long learner, she loved working in Chetwynd and worked closely with the chief and then a hereditary female chief on several band bylaws.

Today, S/Sgt. McNeil leads the RCMP’s Forensic Identification Services for the Island District and she’s very happy to be there.

She was urged on in her career by a now retired Staff Sergeant Bill Van Otterloo, a detachment commander at Oceanside RCMP who turned out to be an important mentor for her. He was such a progressive person. When I first got there, he gave a big speech. He said ‘most people only give 40 or 50 per cent at work. If you give at least 70 percent, I will help you get anywhere you want to go.’ He was such a great guy. He helped me to figure out how to get into ident, S/Sgt. McNeil recalls.

A self-proclaimed worker bee, she believes S/Sgt. Van Otterloo, recognized that she got bored easily. It was another one of the reasons I joined the RCMP, she says. After finishing her schooling as a dietician, she arrived at Oceanside and trained three recruits back-to-back.

She was also grateful to have Superintendent Nav Hothi as a mentor. Supt. Hothi leads the BC RCMP Forensic Identification Services. She’s my boss and she’s an inspiration.

Still adventurous, S/Sgt. McNeil took the opportunity to work in Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut as temporary relief last August. That was amazing, she recalls.

I had a tonne of files and I did everything I could possibly do in a month, says S/Sgt. McNeil. In addition to a tonne of files, she also fully embraced the experience of working in the north. I got to try raw beluga—the texture was strange and cooked seal—it was just such an amazing cultural experience.

S/Sgt. McNeil recommends a remote relief posting to anyone who might have a chance to experience something out of the normal scope of duties.

She has spent the majority of her career on the island where she, her husband and son have lived since 2005 with the exception of the three-year posting on the east coast.

As she edges ever closer to retirement she has a special focus on encouraging more Indigenous and minority women in policing. There is a place in policing for you, she encourages. She was part of the Women’s Indigenous Network (WIN) who helped to create the ribbon skirt. I am much more passionate about it.

Released by:

BC RCMP Communication Services

[Mike K.]

Central Saanich Police has arrested two of its own today:

The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) released information today regarding the arrests of two members of the Central Saanich Police Service (CSPS).

In late October, allegations regarding the actions of two CSPS members, dating back to 2019, were reported to one of our on-duty officers. The information was provided by a third-party.

The officer notified the Deputy Chief and given the serious nature of the allegations, an independent and external organization, the Vancouver Police Department, was contacted and began its investigation.

We also notified the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner and an OPCC investigation is underway.

“It would be an understatement to say that I was shocked and saddened to learn about these allegations,” Chief Ian Lawson.

Today, the two individuals were arrested. Constable Ryan JOHNSTON is charged with sexual assault and Sergeant Matthew BALL is charged with sexual assault and breach of trust.

The arrests today enabled CSPS to move forward with the suspension process as doing so prior to the arrest would have alerted the individuals to the investigation. The members have now been suspended. The process to seek suspension without pay is underway. We have consulted extensively with senior legal counsel throughout this process and will continue to do so.

We have ensured through VPD the victim has access to support including Victim Services.

Central Saanich is a small community where many people know police officers by first name. That is, in fact, part of what makes our police service unique. Obviously, these allegations impact the public trust. It is critical that victims feel safe coming forward.

“Regardless of who is accused, when these allegations were brought forward, they were taken very seriously, acted upon immediately and resulted in criminal charges,” Chief Ian Lawson.

These allegations have also impacted the members and staff of the Central Saanich Police Service. We have called in Peer Support to provide support to our employees.

“We would like to thank the VPD for their immediate response to our request, their thorough investigation and professionalism,” Chief Lawson. “While I would like to comment further, our priority is ensuring that the victim is cared for, and that the integrity of her case is not impacted. Therefore, we are unable to make further comment at this time.”

[Victoria Watcher]

The Vancouver Police Department says two Central Saanich Police officers have been arrested following an investigation into sexual assault allegations.

 

Vancouver Police says Matthew Ball, 43, and Ryan Johnston, 40, were each charged with one count of sexual assault. Ball was also charged with one count of breach of trust.

 

Vancouver Police started a criminal investigation on Oct. 28 at the request of the Central Saanich Police department after someone came forward with information about two officers who had unlawful sexual conduct with a woman they met while on duty.

 

[...]

 

Ball holds the rank of sergeant and was working as a patrol officer prior to his arrest. Before to coming to Central Saanich, he was working with the Calgary Police Department, and Wilson says the Calgary department has been informed of this update.

 

Johnstone holds the rank of constable and was working in the general investigative section before his arrest. Information about previous departments he worked at were not shared.

 

Wilson says it is not believed the officers acted together.

 

“The current evidence suggests that each officer formed separate intimate and inappropriate relationships with the woman at different times after meeting her during the course of their duties,” Wilson says.

 

 

 

 

 

https://cheknews.ca/...gation-1229737/

 

 

Wilson says the two officers were arrested on their way to work on Tuesday morning, and were arrested without incident.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 17 December 2024 - 04:40 PM.

[Blair M.]

There’s only around 25 sworn officers in total, so that’s just under 10% of the entire department. 

This seems to be yet another strong support statement for complete amalgamation for law enforcement in the CRD, under a much stronger command and management structure.

[max.bravo]

A sad day for central Saanich police. But good to know they aren’t above the law. That builds confidence imo.

[Victoria Watcher]

2 Central Saanich police officers arrested and charged with sexually assaulting same woman

 

2 officers formed 'separate, intimate and inappropriate' relationship with woman in her mid-20s: police

 

https://www.cbc.ca/n...rests-1.7413302

 

 

 

 

 

 

What are the rules here?  Police cannot have a relationship with anyone they meet in their line of work, or just not with someone that is vulnerable?  And if it is the latter, is any sexual contact now labelled as "assault"?

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a bit:

 

 

 

 

The guideline states that police personnel must act ethically, professionally and appropriately, and treat all individuals with whom they have contact with dignity and respect. Their Code of Ethics states that “officers/staff must not engage in sexual conduct or other inappropriate behaviour on duty and must not establish or pursue an improper sexual or emotional relationship with a person with whom they come into contact in the course of their work who may be vulnerable to an abuse of trust or power.”1

 

The Code goes on to say that “while a sexual or improper emotional relationship with any member of the public met through work is likely to be a breach of this guidance, the breach will be aggravated where the member of the public is particularly vulnerable.” There are several examples of what might be considered “particularly vulnerable”, which included suicidal individuals, victims of domestic abuse, people with dependencies on alcohol and/or drugs, young people, people who have been trafficked and unhoused individuals.1

 

 

[...]

 

 

Case study – Befriending and grooming a victim of domestic violence

 

A uniform member who responded to a domestic violence call began showing up at the victim’s residence on the premise of following up to see how she was doing. He did these follow-up “well-being checks” while he was off duty. One night, he suggested they order dinner, and he brought over a bottle of wine. She disclosed his amorous overtures to her therapist, who encouraged her to lodge a complaint against the officer and the police agency.

 

https://www.blueline...-against-women/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 17 December 2024 - 08:28 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

This, from the UK:

 

https://assets.colle..._boundaries.pdf

 

....... basically says you can never engage in a relationship with anoyone in the general public, that you have met through work, or even a family member of someone you have met through work.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 17 December 2024 - 08:32 PM.

[Mike K.]

Via Global.

[Blair M.]

I would think that, when on duty, being a sworn officer of the law automatically places you in a superior position over almost (if not) every citizen you meet. A sworn officer has legal rights and extended authority as a sworn officer that any given citizen walking down the street definitely doesn't have.

So anybody you meet while you're the job would be completely off limits for any sort of personal relationship. 

 

Off duty would seemingly be OK in some circumstances, with additional terms, conditions and outright caveats as noted in VW's post above about extended family members.

 

It would seem, that with two separate officers, and the press release saying each inappropriate interaction was completely independent of the other, and all of this occurring at roughly the same time - and arrests made and charges laid, that these two officers knew this person through their work as sworn officers of the law, and thus should have remained 100% detached regardless of any additional circumstances.

[Victoria Watcher]

Saanich police are warning they’ll be forced to lay off 17 people if they have to cut the provisional police budget by five per cent, as proposed by Saanich council.

 

Joanne Ko, the department’s executive services manager, told council this week there would be no way to avoid layoffs if the 2025 provisional police budget is cut back.

 

Saanich police have proposed a $52.36-million budget for next year, a $5.24-million jump from 2024.

 

Ko characterized it as a “hold-the-line budget” that reflects the increased cost of doing business. She said labour costs represent nearly 84 per cent or $43.86 million of the total.

“This budget funds our existing staffing needs and service contracts vital to our day-to-day operations,” she said.

 

A reduction of five per cent would mean the layoff of 17 existing police positions, she said, resulting in “unacceptable service reductions” in a municipality that is actively trying to increase housing supply, thereby boosting population growth.

 

Cutting the budget by one per cent would mean eliminating four positions, while a cut of two per cent would mean the loss of seven positions, she said.

 

 

https://www.timescol...s-force-9971676

 

 

 

 

 

The department currently has 185 police positions, 60 civilian positions and 50 reserve constables.

 

https://saanichpolic...r-organization/

 

 

 

 

 

Would they not normally lose close to 15 positions a year through attrition?  6% would actually probaby be low for a police department, where some younger members might just move to policing elsewhere.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 18 December 2024 - 05:55 AM.

[lanforod]

I wouldn't want service levels dropping. Saanich needs to find savings elsewhere. Maybe the police can trim some fat, but if most of that is salary, there isn't much left to trim unless there are positions that are less than necessary.

[Mike K.]

Police salaries are quite high. Maybe we’re finding that they are too high? $120k is a fairly typical wage.

[lanforod]

Yes, I think they are quite adequately compensated. It's a union though, right? You can't just drop wages down, and if you cut positions, you cut service. Unless, like I said, there are positions that are less than necessary. Perhaps some civilian ones can be trimmed.

 

https://joinspd.ca/wages/

[Mike K.]

The civilians support the officers and manage operations. Trim them, and the department will find itself mismanaged.

Departments are managed fairly well here, but it’s no secret wages for officers are very high and operating police vehicles isn’t cheap.

But the reality is, we have offloaded provincial and federal responsibilities onto local taxpayers. Catch and release puts extreme pressure on local taxpayers instead of holding perpetrators in a provincial jail then on to federal prison if convicted for a serious crime.

Instead of higher levels of governments dealing with homelessness, it’s local governments that are being tasked with managing services, and police are the front line workers. Pandora alone must take up more policing resources annually than the entire case load of Sooke, North Saanich/Sidney, Central Saanich and Oak Bay.

[Barrister]

I doubt it for Oak Bay, they have a number of serial J walkers to deal with and also an increased caseload of lost cats.

[Blair M.]

It would seem that, like any business operation, if you can't work within your assigned budget, you seek multiple efficiencies within the structure of your operation until you can continue to function properly with the budget allotment that you do have. 

Welcome to Business #101.

 

It does get a bit difficult to listen to multiple levels of government continuously claim in the press that they simply can't continue doing their jobs without receiving increases in the multiple millions of dollars, all from the public pot.

 

The endless "we can't possibly change how we operate" argument from multiple public agencies (and their employees) is getting more than a bit old.

[Victoria Watcher]

I feel the same about local theatres that say they can’t possibly operate with volunteer and other non-union staff.

[Blair M.]

I feel the same about local theatres that say they can’t possibly operate with volunteer and other non-union staff.

Weird place to insert a dig!

I'll answer you though. The answer isn't complicated or hard to understand.

 

Check labour law in British Columbia as it relates to a certified union workplace, and you'll have your answer.

A union certification in B.C. can't suddenly become "non-union" simply because you feel that you want it to be that way.

 

Labour law in B.C. - it's a real thing!

[Victoria Watcher]

A recent article explained exactly how a local venue worked where they let the promoter provide the staff.

I’ll try to dig it up.