Disgraced Mountie will work in BC but watched closely

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – An Alberta RCMP officer disciplined and demoted for drinking at his office and having sex with subordinates while on the job will work in BC but under close watch.

E-Division Commander, Deputy Commissioner Craig Callens, says Sgt. Don Ray will be under tight supervision and thinks BC is the right place for him to be.

“If he re-offends in the way in which he has been found to have acted in Alberta, he will be immediately removed from duty [and] I will be seeking his dismissal from the force,” Callens says.

Callens says he was approached about Ray transferring to BC last fall and approved it.  Ray will have a federal RCMP job here, not working at a city detachment or in a provincial office, adds Callen.

He admits it wasn’t an easy decision to accept Ray.  “But while others may have looked at the circumstances and simply decided it was not their problem and to let someone else deal with it, that is not my way, or how I lead, and it is not what I expect of my leaders.”

“I can’t think of a better division for Sgt. Ray to come to, quite frankly,” Callens argues.  “I don’t think that there is a division in the force that is more progressive today in terms of creating an atmosphere within which it is clearly understood that gender-based harassment and other misconduct will not be tolerated.”

The force adds Ray won’t be dealing with the public very much in his new job, but won’t say specifically what it is or where he will be working.

Meanwhile, SFU criminology professor Rob Gordon thinks Ray’s transfer is another blow for the national police force.

“It certainly creates an impression of an ineffectual organization that has great difficulty disciplining and controlling its people,” Gordon says.  “And especially given that this fellow was a staff sergeant, this is a mid-management job.”

Gordon says he thought Ray would be fired from the RCMP and believes the transfer is some part of a plea deal.

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