Rhino's Ramblings - Shattered Trust

By Robert Thomas Opinion/Commentary

It has to be the biggest story so far this year and that is the case behind the dismissal of former constable Alan Murdock from the Moose Jaw Police Service (MJPS). A case if you believe the allegations laid out this past Tuesday by Chief Rick Bourassa, stretches back for decades.

A seeming plethora of infractions that according to Constable Murray Rice were enabled by former administration. By all appearances an almost endless procession of the highest paid slackers the taxpaying public in Moose Jaw has had on the payroll.

I happened to drop in on the meeting where the sins of Alan Murdock were laid out after being tipped off about what the meeting of the Moose Jaw Board of Police Commissioners was going to be about.

They are public meetings, anyone can attend to see how our police are ran, they use to post them on the City’s web-site but no longer do. So if you were to ask me when the next one is - I haven’t a clue.

It is only the second time I have ever attended a Board of Police Commissioners meeting in three years as MJ Independent has, to my knowledge, never applied for media accreditation from MJPS. And as long as I have a say in it, it is not about to change.

It is just something that goes back to my early days in journalism when I worked at a small town newspaper.

I can boldly remember back 35 years ago when my first ever editor told me I was not going to be attending court.

He gave me two reasons for not going and they went like this:

First off if you have to make your local newspaper something people want to read by writing about people getting open liquor fines, speeding tickets and other minor infractions you really are not doing your job there are tons of other things you can write about. We go to court only if someone gets murdered.

Secondly that the relationship between the police and the media is a tenuous one.

Often you cannot be criticlal of the police because if you are then you lose access to the all important news releases and the stories they generate. It is all part of playing a game that can often have you cut off from a critical source to help fill space as they say. It has been described by many in the media as a symbiotic relationship.

By not being part of the game though and being in the media it can lead to a lot of nasty things especially if you are ever critical of the police.

I remember being in Rosetown once and was out working on some very late night photo work and bumping into an RCMP officer who asked me what I was up to. So I told him photography. His response was “oh so you were working on some pornography” right in front of another officer who snickered at me.

The next day at coffee I heard someone repeat the same story that I was a pornographer. By 1 pm I was in the detachment sitting down and filing a report against the officers. A complaint I won. An apology I never received.

The same holds true with all police forces it seems for those who refuse to play the game…sigh.

But with that said as I sat there and listened to the litany of allegations read out by Chief Rick Bourassa it is somethng that I could not believe.

It seemed to go on and on and on with no real end to it and as a citizen I could not fathom how in the heck this went on for so, so long. And how ashamed I was to be a resident of this community because of it.

It is not just my view but it is the view of a large portion of this community.

You can see it in their Facebook postings, you can hear it in the coffee shops, you can hear it when you go for a haircut and you can even hear it in the care homes as elder residents there have lost at least some of their respect for the Moose Jaw police.

Now with that said do I think it is deserved?

No I do not.

But at the same time the air of there is more problems within the MJPS is out there and despite all of the efforts by Chief Bourassa it is not going to go away any time soon.

I see it in the emails I receive to MJ Independent as people are sending me even more alleged misdeeds by the now disgraced Alan Murdock things which go far beyond disturbing.

I am going to be honest and tell you I have only received 10 complaints in the history of MJ Independent about the MJPS and all of them involve former constable Alan Murdock.

With the exception of one. That complaint involved Alan Murdock and another officer and if true it is disturbing to a point I find indescribable.

With that said I really feel for this Chief.

In my opinion he is a good man who truly cares about the MJPS and wants to and will clean house if necessary.

With that said is there anything that can be done to make things better? Yes there is.

People need to support Chief Bourassa, People need to support the honest men and women within the MJPS. If you know something about the alleged misdeeds of former constable Alan Murdock or others you need to come forward and speak to him - directly.

I am going to be honest with you in my opinion this police chief is honest. The majority of the men and women who are members of MJPS are honest and decent people and they need your help.

You need to find the strength and the courage to come forward.

It’s a tough thing for people to do because in my opinion if you really look at the allegations levelled Murdock seems to have only taken advantage of those he saw as beneath him.

People who are poorer, lower down the socio-economic food chain and perhaps in conflict with the law. Teenagers out for a few drinks with friends or a joint - especially young women - by all appearances seem to be the favourite targets of the former constable.

It is tough to do but you need to find strength to come forward. But if you do not I understand. What woman wants to come forward and tell the police that a creep with a badge put their hands all over me?

With that said the MJPS needs to somehow rebuild the massive amount of trust they have lost in the community.

Getting rid of the one bad apple that has been festering in a barrel for 30 plus years is not in many people’s minds I have spoken to going to end the feelings that there has to be more than just the allegations made so far.

It takes a really good look through and cleaning of the barrel to ensure that the contagion has not spread further. Something for many people only a public and open inquiry is going to bring.

As I sat there at the impromptu news conference - where I asked the only two questions put forward by the local media - the rest being dominated by Geoff Leo of the CBC the questions turned to the obvious about how did this go on for so long? Should there be a public inquiry? Is turning off the video camera go against what was said about the Stonechild inquiry?

But as the local media got pushed out of the scrum the one question I had going through my head but never had the opportunity to ask and that is “Do you Chief Bourassa believe we need a public inquiry?”

I know many people in Moose Jaw want answers about how all of this could happen for so long. And maybe, just maybe giving them those answers in my opinion will go a long way to restoring the shattered trust so many in this community have towards the police.