81 CASES OF MISCONDUCT BY MOUNTIES OVER 2 YEARS

Prostitute Hired - Documents Falsified - Excessive Force Used

More than 80 RCMP officers in B.C. have been found guilty of
misconduct by the Mounties' internal affairs unit since January 2005
for offences ranging from falsifying expense claims to having sex
with a prostitute, The Vancouver Sun has learned.

In July, The Sun filed an Access to Information request to the RCMP
asking for a list of all internal investigations launched into
misconduct by B.C. officers.

The request asked only for those reports in which the allegations
were substantiated.

In reply, the Mounties provided a list of 81 investigations against
its B.C. members. Some of the cases involve more than one officer.

RCMP spokesman Cpl. Pierre Lemaitre said in an interview that, while
81 cases of misconduct may seem high, it's only a tiny fraction of
the 5,000 RCMP officers working in B.C.

"Does it hurt to hear of some bad apples? You bet," he said. "But I
also know they're a small number compared to the good people who have
dedicated themselves not only to the [RCMP] but to the communities they serve."

The list of substantiated investigations provided to The Sun includes:

n An officer who engaged "the services of a known sex-trade worker."

n An officer who was "driving in a suspicious manner in an area where
prostitutes are known to frequent."

n An officer who used "foul and racist language" against someone
while issuing a speeding ticket.

n An officer who held onto an exhibit, a firearm, for "personal use."

n An officer who tried to pressure another officer to do a favour for
his brother-in-law, who was arrested for impaired driving.

n An officer who inappropriately identified himself as a police
officer to get preferential treatment in a bar.

n An officer who submitted "inaccurate invoices and overtime claims."

n An officer who used "excessive force" against a suspect by
deploying her Taser.

The list also includes three cases of officers found guilty of
failing to safeguard police property after their computers were
stolen -- in one case, with sensitive files on it.

Insp. Paul Darbyshire, head of the RCMP's Professional Standards unit
- -- the new name for internal affairs -- said in an interview that
none of the officers involved in the 81 cases have been fired. Most
of them received counselling or a reprimand on their file. However,
the RCMP says at least six have voluntarily resigned.

Thirteen officers -- including the officer who used her Taser -- are
awaiting disciplinary hearings at which they could be subject to dismissal.

None of the officers' names were included in the records released to The Sun.

Darbyshire said his unit, which investigates officers in both B.C.
and the Yukon, receives about 800 to 900 public complaints a year.

The RCMP's handling of internal investigations was in the news
earlier this month after Const. Justin Harris -- accused of having
sex with underage prostitutes in Prince George -- had the
disciplinary charges against him thrown out because the Mounties took
too long to bring their case against him.

The investigation into Harris's conduct predates the list of cases
provided to The Sun.

Some of the allegations included in that list are so serious that
they have already resulted in criminal charges against the officers involved.

Adam Jonathan Clarke, a former officer in Langley, was charged in
June with two counts of child luring for allegedly using a community
police office computer to convince a 12- and 15-year-old girl to
produce child pornography for him.

And in December, B.C. Mountie James Douglas Macleod was charged with
sexual assault after allegedly raping a woman at a Super Bowl party
in Maple Ridge in February 2005.

Not all of the allegations of misconduct are so serious, however.

The list notes that one officer was found guilty of failing "to
safeguard his force issued uniform" after loaning it to a friend to
wear at a Halloween party.

And another officer was cited for "careless use of a Taser" after
accidentally Tasering a fellow member twice in the leg while he sat at his desk.