RCMP Complaints Commission Letter
Sarah Dover
G8 Legal Collective
#307, 315 - 10th Ave S.E.
Calgary, AB
T2G 0W2
RCMP Complaints Commission
P.O. Box 3423, Station D
Ottawa, ON
K1P 6L4 BY FAX: (613) 952-8045
June 24, 2002
On behalf of the G8 Legal Collective, I would like to register a formal police complaint pursuant to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Act. The G8 Legal Collective is a group comprised of activists associated with the effort to protest the meeting of the leaders of the G8 in Kananaskis, Alberta on June 26-27, 2002. The Collective is a group of volunteers who have coalesced around objectives of providing legal education, referral to counsel and support services for activists involved in political demonstrations.
Our complaint is that on June 23, 2002, a group of RCMP officers were policing the “Community Solidarity March” on bicycles without proper identification. In addition, but unrelated to this complaint, Calgary Police Services officers were also unidentified. The march was organized by labour and arts groups and began at 1:00 p.m. at the Eau Claire park in Calgary. The police officers did not have any badges, tags or patches on their uniforms that would allow community members to identify them as individuals. The police officers were wearing uniforms that identified them as members of their specific forces. Further, three RCMP officers in black fatigues were observed at the Shoppers Drug Mart located at Toronto Dominion Square (210 Toronto Dominion Square). None of the officers wore individual identifiers associated with their uniforms.
Identification of individual police officers is important in the event that an incident occurs for which a member of the community would like to file a formal complaint. Areas were visible on jackets of many of the officers where an identifying badge was intended to be placed; however, there was no badge evident. Descriptions of police officers are insufficient in events, like this march, in which hundreds of police officers may be participating from different forces - identification numbers are required.
According to the RCMP Core Values, posted on the force's web page, accountability of individuals and of the force is key. “In this organization authorities can be delegated, but accountability cannot." Accountability is evidently not a priority in Calgary.
We have included photographs of the unidentifiable police officers to support this complaint. We have preserved copies in the event that we may wish to pursue legal action should this remedy process prove insufficient.
The G8 Legal Collective seeks a formal explanation and immediate suspension of the practice of allowing unidentified officers to be on duty.
Regards,
Sarah Dover
G8 Legal Collective Spokesperson
CC: BC Civil Liberties Association, 815 Hastings St. W., Vancouver BC
Alberta Civil Liberties Association, c/o Steven Jenusse