Mounties strive, sometimes struggle

I recently retired after 28 years as an RCMP officer. I served in Toronto, northern Labrador, rural Canada, and most recently at our training academy (Depot) here in Regina.

I am also a white, heterosexual, male and north of 50. I have never known discrimination, even when policing Indigenous communities. I have certainly been a cultural and ethnic minority, but in terms of socio-economic power I have been in the top one per cent. I sometimes struggle to keep my own biases in check. Thus in conversations around policing and First Nations, I usually sit quietly and listen.

However, Chris Murphy’s opinion piece (Boushie lawyer is haunted by stint with RCMP, Aug. 14) has prompted me to write.

I am saddened to hear Mr. Murphy’s four-month experience as a “special constable” 20 years ago was not more positive. And I am not certain what his concern or issue is, if in fact most of his interactions were with Indigenous people. Could it be that most of the calls for service that his detachment received came from First Nations communities?

It has been my experience that police officers deal with negatives most of the time. We know intimate, deeply personal details about people’s lives. In the small communities where the RCMP is so deeply ingrained, it can make for sometimes uncomfortable situations.

I also believe that Indigenous people and the RCMP are the two groups in our country that directly deal with the horrific long-term impact of the residential school system. It is the RCMP who respond to the alcoholrelated violence and death that is sometimes pervasive in First Nations communities.

Mr. Murphy is correct when he speaks of experiences of fear. For the past 28 years it has been fear that has kept me alive and sharp. There is another emotion that is a police officer’s reality: it is compassion fatigue. Sometimes after dealing with the same poor, wretched soul who always seems to be drunk and violent at 3 a.m., a police officer can become indifferent or numb to the background and history.

I shared those stories with the cadets at Depot where I taught. Such feelings of helplessness and fatigue are normal and natural. As a police officer, what is important is that one recognizes the symptoms of the fatigue, pauses, engages in some self-reflection and takes steps to recharge your compassion battery. I did it through transfers.

I cannot speak to “illegal searches” conducted 20 years ago. We don’t teach illegal searches at Depot because they are illegal, and we certainly do not teach cadets to conduct racially motivated searches.

What I can speak to is the fact that the RCMP is representative of the nation we serve. At Depot I had the honour to work and interact with cadets and officers from many backgrounds and from First Nations communities from all over Canada.

Over the years I have developed a deep respect for many lawyers (Crown and defence) who are passionate seekers of truth and justice.

I also have a deep respect for the thousands of Mounties who struggle each day under extraordinary circumstances to bring order where there is chaos. And, yes, sometimes we mightily fall short of what people expect and deserve.

Sean Boulger, Regina