(Prince Albert Daily Herald – Editorial) – It’s alarming to note that some RCMP officers are consuming alcohol and then driving. On Tuesday, police in a small community in B.C. recommended charges of drunk driving against an RCMP officer in connection with a fatal collision eight months earlier.
On Monday, RCMP Const. Brent A. Jolson was in court in Regina, facing charges of breaching a probation order not to consume alcohol.
Jolson was involved in a single-vehicle collision in an RCMP cruiser near Lumsden on May 7. Shortly afterwards, the RCMP revealed Jolson had failed a roadside test for alcohol. That incident took place mere days after an off-duty Saskatchewan RCMP officer lost his life driving a vehicle while impaired.
The public outrage to these incidents is predictable and understandable. How could those members of society pledged with upholding the laws, be so bold – and careless – in breaking them?
We think these incidents are indicative of other problems that deserve attention. Perhaps it’s just a random string of incidents – but the severity of the outcomes in just these three incidents alone (two people dead) should trigger a critical question: What’s causing these officers to drink in the first place?
Alcohol consumption is often a sign of workplace stress, and historical evidence typically shows higher rates of alcoholism for people in law enforcement professions.
However, the recent incidents – clearly higher profile than RCMP brass would ever desire – seem to suggest something else. It is a sign, perhaps, that the nation’s police force is under greater stress than many understand. The RCMP has been understaffed for a while, with great numbers of rookies throughout the country learning a difficult job. Clearly, some individuals – notably those with several years’ experience – are in such a place that alcohol consumption has become a coping mechanism.
We trust that the RCMP will note the spike in alcohol-related incidents and take appropriate action. Yes, those who have broken the law must face the consequences, but at the same time, counselling and support must be made available to those who need it.
In the meantime, we reiterate our support for all the men and women serving the RCMP, and thank them for what is often a grueling and thankless job.
Much of the problem is understaffing of detachments and the constant shit kicking they get by the media when they haven’t done anything wrong. The problem is they need a large increase in funding and staffing that the government says they can’t afford.
They don’t cover up or else they wouldn’t talk to the media.
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Ya forgot the biggest one “COVER UPS” getting caught has a devasting effect on law enforcement officers when they must compremise their original beliefs and do something wrong like the B.C. case at the airport.
How do they shave in the mornings? I bet it’s not a problem until they get caught. I wonder if criminals can get some compensation when they get caught instead of a court date and a leave with pay?
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It is only in the last while that we have come to further understand, detect and treat “stress”.
How many motor vehicle accidents where people are mangled, how many domestic situations with beaten spouses, how many investigations with children the subject of depravity by adults, how many stabbings, shootings, sudden death investigations, next of kin notifications of family death, getting personally roughed up, how many drowned and bloated victim recoveries, ad naseum can the human being cope with? I would suggest the officers that deal with sexual offences against children, including torture, rape, shaken baby offences would have an even higher burnout rate doing that particular job.
The native community suffered years of abuse at some residential schools. We have cataloged the devastating effects on the individuals and community. What is the effect on the officers who for years have been investigating these crimes daily? The litany of abuse as told in detail by hundreds of victims relived, recounted, reported on, subject of meetings, prosecution, etc.
How many people would be able to do that kind of job for many years and not be affected? But too bad eh Alcan? Just rod em’ without figuring out what CL pointed out above. The intelligent thing to do would be to ascertain the causal relationship that resulted in improper actions. After all, any citizen is entitled to that in our legal system, well except maybe officers eh?
Certain parts of the RCMP are subject to regular psychological visits. When the YVR 4 were part of a critical incident debriefing, the cries of collusion were loud. So what, the hell with the mental health after traumatic events for officers where you figure they were wrong?
The dichotomy espoused by some are nothing short of extreme cerebral myopathy:
“Police don’t have a problem when someone else breaks the law or kills someone but when it comes to their actions it seems a little foggy to say the least.”
And that brilliant statement means what?
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Please note the quote from the below article at the end of my comment.
Alcohol abuse is nothing new in policing, including the RCMP. Most members of the RCMP would have had an alcoholic supervisor in the first five years of their service.
There are four or five alcohol drinking establishments at Depot alone. The price for a drink is lower than civilian establishments.
The culture of drinking has to change from the beginning.
MACLEANS MAGAZINE ARTICLE 14 NOV. 07
“The effect of this disarray on individual Mounties has been devastating. Internal RCMP documents obtained by Maclean’s show that one in eight members are now receiving a disability payment, in many cases in addition to their regular salaries. And it’s not simply the physical nature of the job. In 2006, 30 per cent of all new disability pensions were granted because of psychological injury. Many were from exposure to predictable traumas—violent crimes, car accidents, shootings. But a growing proportion, notes the document, are from “cumulative and prolonged stress” at work, exacerbated by “cultural factors, such as low supervisor and co-worker support.”
CGL Consulting
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I must agree stress for some could be pretty bad but maybe they shouldn’t be in police work…
Also I think some of it is a total disregard for the law they are sworn to uphold. I believe when there’s a problem we tend to take out the crying towel instead of the rod. They want us to be mercyful to them when they were not to others.
The question here is do we keep covering things up and ignore what they do when we seem to do so little for the general public they are called to serve. This sounds to me like it’s a one sided solution and I’m hoping the judge will ignore the pleas of those lawyers and do what is right for a change for the victim sake.
The very officers inforcing this law while breaking it to is at a critical high, and since they have placed themselves above the law or reproach and no one in authority seems to care what they are doing, which is out of hand right now who’s going to stand up and be counted on record for the victims of these very crimes.
Police don’t have a problem when someone else breaks the law or kills someone but when it comes to their actions it seems a little foggy to say the least.
No one wants to pay the piper or go to jail for their actions but the question now is; do we let them go so they can continue with their mayham while we rule over others and through the rest in jail.
Is this fair?
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