RCMP's Internal Discipline System Revealed in 2024 Conduct Report
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police quietly released its latest Report on the Management of the RCMP Conduct Process on January 21, 2024. This comprehensive 22-page document provides detailed insights into disciplinary matters involving both sworn officers and civilian employees throughout the national police force during the reporting period.
Disciplinary Statistics and Trends
The report reveals that a total of 443 conduct files were opened in 2024 among the RCMP's 21,641 regular and civilian members. This represents a significant 12-per-cent increase over the previous year's figures, yet it still means that fewer than two per cent of all RCMP employees were involved in the internal disciplinary process during this period.
These findings support a longstanding criminological perspective that a relatively small number of police personnel tend to be responsible for a disproportionate share of problematic conduct issues. Consequently, maintaining an effective and robust disciplinary framework serves the best interests of both the general public and the overwhelming majority of police employees who conduct themselves appropriately.
The Conduct Process Framework
The report meticulously outlines the complete conduct process, beginning with the initial receipt of reports through to final decision-making procedures. It also details the appeal mechanisms available to employees, particularly in cases involving significant penalties such as pay deductions extending beyond a single day, demotions, or dismissals. These appeals can be directed to an external committee for review.
Categories of Misconduct
The document identifies nine specific categories of misconduct that form the basis for disciplinary actions within the RCMP. These comprehensive categories include:
- Respect and courtesy
- Disreputable conduct
- Respect for the law
- Reporting requirements
- Duties and responsibilities
- Confidentiality and public statements
- Use of force protocols
- Political activity restrictions
- Conflict of interest situations
Distribution Across Ranks
The distribution of misconduct cases across different RCMP ranks presents particularly interesting patterns. Constables, who constitute 54 per cent of the force's personnel, were responsible for 61 per cent of all misconduct cases reported in 2024.
Other ranks demonstrated more proportional representation in disciplinary matters. Corporals accounted for 17 per cent of both employees and misconduct cases, while sergeants represented 10 per cent of personnel and 10 per cent of disciplinary incidents. Staff sergeants comprised four per cent of employees and four per cent of misconduct cases, and inspectors and higher-ranking officers made up three per cent of personnel with four per cent of disciplinary matters.
Civilian Employee Conduct
Civilian employees presented a notably different pattern, constituting 12 per cent of RCMP personnel but only three per cent of misconduct cases. This substantial disparity suggests that civilian members generally demonstrate higher compliance with conduct standards compared to their sworn counterparts.
Misconduct within police organizations responds to multiple factors, including individual characteristics, organizational dynamics at the meso-sociological level, and individuals' assessments of their likelihood of avoiding consequences for inappropriate behavior. The remarkably low number of misconduct cases involving civilian employees represents a positive finding, though perhaps not entirely surprising given their different roles and responsibilities.
This disparity warrants further exploration to understand the underlying reasons and potentially develop models for promoting exemplary behavior throughout the entire RCMP organization. Not all civilian employees occupy positions with limited authority, making their consistently low misconduct rates particularly instructive for developing improved conduct standards across all segments of the national police force.
