(Canadian Press) Vancouver, B.C. - The B.C. Civil Liberties Association says there will be a review of the use of foreign police in Canada after most of one of its complaint against the RCMP was upheld in a ruling by the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP.
The civil liberties group complained to the commission in 2005, after RCMP in B.C. allowed Texas state troopers on an exchange program called Operation Pipeline to pull over a vehicle during a training exercise aimed at drug suspects.
Among its recommendations, the commission report calls for the RCMP to review Operation Pipeline to ensure any future police exchanges comply with Canadian law and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
But it doesn’t rule out such exchanges between Canadian and foreign police agencies.
RCMP Commissioner William Elliott says in a letter to the complaints commission that he accepts its recommendations, including one that
A lengthy delay by the RCMP commissioner in responding to the 2006 interim report was responsible for the long delay in the release of the final report this summer.
2 responses so far ↓
1 RCMP Watch // Aug 29, 2008 at 08:15
RCMP rapped for allowing Texas cops to patrol in B.C.
Carolynne Burkholder , Canwest News Service
Published: Thursday, August 28, 2008
The RCMP should not have allowed Texas state troopers to act as police officers in Canada, says a new report released by the body that oversees RCMP complaints.
The Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP found that the Canadian officers who allowed the troopers to patrol B.C. highways as part of a police exchange program were acting “in contravention of force policy.”
The report stems from a complaint filed in March 2005 by the B.C. Civil Liberties Association after an off-duty Vancouver Police officer was stopped by one of the American officers trying to detect motorists under the influence of drugs.
Const. David Laing received a settlement from the RCMP four years ago after he complained to the commission about being questioned by the foreign officers.
The BCCLA alleged RCMP members permitted direct policing by Texas state troopers, illegally detained a motorist suspected of transporting drugs and searched his vehicle.
The complaint also stated that a drug recognition expert conducted an impaired driving investigation without grounds.
The commission upheld these complaints into the police exchange program called Operation Pipeline Convoy.
“Foreign law officers shouldn’t be involved in direct policing in Canada, period,” said BCCLA executive director Murray Mollard. “They aren’t trained in Canadian law. There’s no accountability.”
RCMP commissioner William Elliott said he agreed with the findings in a letter to the commission.
“The lessons learned from this incident will be incorporated into the information provided to participants of future operations of this kind, ” wrote Elliott.
An interm report was filed in 2006, but the final report was delayed for 18 months.
The time lapse makes a “mockery” of the RCMP complaint system, said Mollard.
“The RCMP didn’t respond in a timely manner,” said Mollard. “Who knows what’s been going on during the past 3 1/2 years.
2 Deepthroat // Aug 29, 2008 at 15:33
DEA, CIA, USCS, have conducted operations in Canada for years. You just can’t stop people for motor vehicle infractions in uniform, on a public roadway, its too visible.
They could have avoided the problem by swearing in the cops involved as provincial peace officers.
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