Senior RCMP speak on charges against WL RCMP Officer

Courtesy of BC RCMP Communications:

Statement of Superintendent Rod Booth - Acting North District Officer

Good afternoon,

I am Superintendent Rod Booth, the acting Commander of the North District of the BC RCMP. I am responsible for the RCMP in northern British Columbia.

The Abbotsford Police Department announced today that they have forwarded a Report to Crown Counsel recommending an assault charge against a member of the Williams Lake RCMP. This stems from an incident that took place in Williams Lake on September 10th, 2011.

It would be inappropriate to provide detailed comments while Crown Counsel conducts a review of the Report, however, I believe it is necessary, given the seriousness of these allegations, to immediately advise you of the actions the RCMP have taken, including those currently underway

On September 10th, 2011, at approximately ten fifteen at night, members of the Williams Lake RCMP responded to several 911 calls reporting a possible assault in progress involving a highly emotional distraught female. All on-duty members responded to this call which resulted in the arrest of a 17 year old female. Following the incident, concerns were raised about her treatment by a Williams Lake Detachment Constable. A public complaint investigation was initially initiated by the Commander of the Williams Lake detachment, Inspector Warren BROWN, however, the decision was made to request an independent, external investigation to be conducted by the Abbotsford Police Department. From the onset the RCMP invited an impartial First Nations observer, who was chosen following consultation with the family, to monitor the independent Abbotsford Police investigation.

As a result of a communication misunderstanding concerning roles and responsibilities of the independent investigation, Williams Lake Detachment submitted a Report to Crown Counsel which resulted in charges being approved and then laid against the 17 year old female. The misunderstanding centred around the belief that the Abbotsford Police were only investigating the allegations against the RCMP officer, when in fact, the RCMP had asked that they investigate the totality of the circumstances.

As soon as I became aware I immediately worked with Crown Counsel to facilitate a Stay of Proceedings regarding the charges against the female. All investigative material was made available to the Abbotsford Police investigators.

A separate investigation is underway to establish how this occurred.

Inspector BROWN has personally spoken with the family. Out of respect, we will not discuss the details of that conversation.

The Abbotsford Police have now completed their investigation and have forwarded their findings to Regional Crown Counsel in Prince George for their review and decision. The Abbotsford police have recommended a charge of assault against a Williams Lake Constable. As the recommended charge has not been approved by Crown Counsel, the Constable can not be named at this time.

The RCMP has also ordered an internal Code of Conduct investigation which will include a thorough review of the Report submitted by the Abbotsford Police which was received yesterday.

Once the RCMP learned that the Abbotsford Police were recommending charges, the involved RCMP Officer was immediately removed from operations and placed on non-operational duties.

The RCMP would like to thank the Abbotsford Police Department for their investigation and also thank the independent observer for the work that they have done.

Statement of Inspector Warren Brown - Officer in Charge of the Williams Lake RCMP Detachment


Good afternoon.

As the Williams Lake RCMP Detachment Commander, I am disappointed to learn that a charge of assault is recommended against one of my constables. I hold the members and employees at my detachment to a high level of accountability and demand a high standard of moral and ethical behaviour.

I am responsible for the actions of the Williams Lake RCMP members. To that end, I accept responsibility for the initial confusion regarding the recommendation of a charge against this female. I was of the belief that the Abbotsford Police Department would simply be investigating the alleged assault by the police officer, when in fact, they were to investigate the totality of the circumstances, including the alleged assault by the female. This case demonstrates the challenges that can occur and illustrates the benefit of the Independent Investigations Office, an investigative body being created - which the RCMP has long supported.

As the commander, it is my responsibility to ensure clarity of all roles and responsibilities in all criminal investigations in Williams Lake. It is important to me that we maintain the trust and confidence of the communities we serve, and for those reasons, I support the investigative process that has been undertaken in this instance. I will endeavour to continue providing an accountable and transparent service to the communities the Williams Lake RCMP serves.

It is also important for me to recognize and commend my staff for their high level of dedication and professionalism. They are a credit to the RCMP and the communities we police. I would also like to acknowledge the strong support from our community stakeholders and the leadership in both our Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities. It is your guidance and direction that has assisted us meeting our goals and objectives. As a result of these positive influences, we have made great strides in Crime Reduction, Building Relationships with First Nations Communities, and working with Youth.