A British Columbia Mountie convicted of discreditable conduct for making sexist comments in group chats has been ordered to resign within 14 days, or he will be fired.
RCMP adjudicator Louise Morel says the actions of Coquitlam Const. Ian Solven was a “fundamental breach of the public trust” and allowing him to remain an officer would further damage the reputation of the RCMP.
She says it “defies comprehension” that a police officer would think posting the vulgar comments was acceptable.
In November, Morel found constables Solven, Mersad Mesbah and Philip Dick failed to treat people with respect and courtesy and committed discreditable conduct when they posted racist, sexist, and homophobic comments in a group chat with other officers and on police computer terminals.
The fate of the two others officers will be handed down in the new year.
The lawyer representing the RCMP conduct authority argued previously that Solven should be dismissed outright or be given a direction to resign in 14 days.
Solven’s lawyer said his client was remorseful and accepted responsibility and that measures short of dismissal, such as a loss of pay, were appropriate.
In March, Solven argued that he and his fellow officers used “dark humour” as a way to vent their frustrations, but he said he is not proud of his statements and thinks it’s unfortunate that the police group chats were revealed through a complaint.