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WARNING: This story contains offensive language.
An RCMP constable in Coquitlam, British Columbia, testified on his own behalf at a hearing Wednesday about whether he should be fired from the force over derogatory comments he made in group chats with other officers.
In November RCMP Judge Louise Morel found that Coquitlam constables Philip Dick, Ian Solven and Mersad Mesbah failed to treat people with respect and courtesy during conversations in an online group chat and on police computer terminals.
Wednesday's adjudication panel hearing focused specifically on Mesbah's conduct.
RCMP conduct lawyer John McLaughlan said Mesbah should be fired immediately or ordered to resign in 14 days.
But Mesbah's lawyer, Allison Tremblay, said his relationship with the RCMP can be repaired with strict enforcement, but not dismissal.
RCMP lawyer argues for dismissal
McLaughlin said Mesbah's misconduct was “fundamentally incompatible with the role of a police officer” and argued that dismissal was the only reasonable course of action.
He noted the board has a responsibility to maintain public confidence in the RCMP and its disciplinary process.
McLaughlin noted that Mesbah has now been suspended longer than he has been a full-time member.
He said Mesbah avoided responsibility for denying he understood the meaning of the alleged racial slur “goldfish”, despite his repeated use of the term, and for the “distasteful term 'gunt' for a woman's stomach which he used to describe a female colleague's body, saying he could not take his eyes off it while on duty.
McLaughlin also said that Mesbah, while on duty, expressed hope that the woman would be killed by the man and also said that he would pepper spray the woman.
Mesbah said he regretted those words and would not act on them.
Constable's testimony
Mesbah said he grew up in Iran and came to Canada when he was 15 without knowing any English.
He said he received a bachelor's degree in criminology from Simon Fraser University in 2016, became a police officer in 2017 and was assigned to the Coquitlam detachment.
Mesbah's lawyer, Allison Tremblay, cited reports confirming Mesbah's professionalism, especially his work with the Iranian community.
Mesbah said “something changed” in the Coquitlam detachment in 2018 when he began noticing typical illnesses and “file avoidance” from colleagues, and the work environment eventually left him unhappy.
He said he coped with group chats, which he described as “a place where I could just let go of this level of hostility and anger because I was watching the same things happen over and over again.”
“[It] it was almost like a landfill: just go and throw away this terrible thing you have in your head so you don’t have to carry it into the next file.”
Mesbah said having two daughters changed his perspective on “body issues” and through counseling he learned to manage his inner anger.
He said he still hopes to become a police officer and said he has processed thousands of files without any problems.
Tremblay said severe consequences, such as 45 days of lost wages or training, would be appropriate.
All three Coquitlam constables were suspended with pay, a BC RCMP spokesman said in November.
Morel will make a decision on January 13.
