An internal RCMP investigation has surfaced disturbing allegations involving officers in a private chat group. According to a search warrant obtained by CBC, multiple officers allegedly exchanged racist, misogynistic, and discriminatory remarks, including jokes about sexual assault and Tasering unarmed Black individuals. The messages were discovered as part of an inquiry into the conduct of three Coquitlam RCMP officers: Constables Philip Dick, Ian Solven, and Mersad Mesbah, who now face dismissal.
The investigation began when whistleblower Constable Sam Sodhi raised concerns in 2021, reporting the toxic environment within the Coquitlam detachment. He claimed officers made degrading comments about various marginalized groups, including Indigenous peoples, women, and people of color. Sodhi’s complaint led investigators to examine over 600,000 internal messages, where they found a consistent pattern of homophobic, racist, and chauvinistic language.
In one chat, an officer allegedly commented on the appearance of a female colleague in a sexualized manner, while another was said to have belittled a sexual assault victim. The search warrant notes, “The reviewers identified a variety of comments that were ‘chauvinist in nature, with a strong air of superiority, and include flippant or insulting remarks about clients, supervisors, and the RCMP as a whole.’”
The documents also reveal conversations where officers mocked Indigenous victims, describing them as “drunk” and “stupid,” and refused to respond to calls from reserves. One officer allegedly joked about a domestic violence victim, saying, “a dumb f–king bitch, should’ve worn a mouth guard.”
The investigation uncovered further offensive statements from the officers, including comments like, “I just racially profile pulled over a car.” The use of racist slurs like “goldfish” to refer to Asian individuals was also documented.
Despite the severity of the allegations, the legal process surrounding the investigation has been hindered by procedural missteps. Notably, the RCMP failed to file a “Report to a Justice” regarding data seized from Sodhi’s phone, leading to potential complications in future hearings.
The disciplinary hearings for the officers involved have been postponed until March 2024, leaving the outcome of these troubling allegations pending.
For more information, read the full CBC report on the ongoing investigation.
