A B.C. Mountie’s personal life has made him the subject of three separate investigations after sexually explicit photos were posted online.
The staged images were posted to a sadomasochism website and show Coquitlam Cpl. Jim Brown. Assistant RCMP Commissioner Randy Beck said Thursday afternoon that Brown has been placed on desk duty and is now the subject of an internal code of conduct investigation as well as a review by an external policy agency.
“While we must strike a balance between an individual’s rights and freedoms when off duty and the RCMP code of conduct, I am personally embarrassed and very disappointed that the RCMP would be, in any way, linked to photos of that nature,” Beck said in a written statement.
The officer in charge of the Coquitlam detachment became aware of the images and launched an investigation in December 2010, but because he believed they only existed on Brown’s personal flash drive, he did not consider them to be a violation of the code of conduct. It was only later this year that the supervisor learned that the photos were posted online and Beck says they have since been taken down.
Brown was involved in the Robert Pickton investigation, and news of the graphic photos has prompted calls for the recently closed missing women inquiry to be reopened.
Cameron Ward, the lawyer representing Pickton’s victims, described Brown’s role in the serial killer case as “small but important,” and added that the officer produced a key informant for investigators.
“Commission counsel is concerned about this issue and is seeking some clarification and responses from RCMP lawyers as to the nature of the investigation into Cpl. Brown’s conduct and indicated that they may require some follow up,” Ward told CTV News.
Inquiry commissioner Wally Oppal issued a statement Thursday that there is no evidence to support reopening the case. However, he added that lawyers for the commissioner will be speaking with the Department of Justice about the police investigation into Brown’s activities.
Police psychologist Mike Webster believes that Brown should not be allowed to investigate any case involving women.
“It’s entirely inappropriate. Mr. Brown is a policeman. Mr. Brown has violated the public trust,” Webster said.
“There’s absolutely no way that with that attitude that he could investigate any file involving a female and do it objectively -- let alone be involved in the missing women’s investigation.”
With a report from CTV British Columbia’s Lisa Rossington
[Editor's note: This story was edited on July 6, 2012]
