Investigation looks at more than 600,000 messages on mobile data terminals, WhatsApp, Signal
Three Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers in British Columbia are under a misconduct investigation after a whistleblower alleged that a racist and toxic workplace culture exists within the police force.
The internal probe, launched following a complaint from Const. Sam Sodhi, reviewed more than 600,000 messages exchanged through police-issued mobile data terminals and private chat groups on WhatsApp and Signal.
According to a search warrant cited by CBC News, investigators found “frequently offensive” language used by officers, including “homophobic and racist slurs.”
The allegations centre around officers Philip Dick, Ian Solven, and Mersad Mesbah, who are accused of harassment and discreditable conduct. Sodhi testified that during his time at the Coquitlam detachment, he witnessed a toxic workplace culture where derogatory remarks were common.
He alleged that Dick, his training officer, made racist comments on his second day at the detachment in 2019.
"What kind of brown guy are you? Are you a Surrey brown guy, or a white-washed brown guy?" Dick allegedly said, according to the CBC report.
Sodhi also claimed that his personal letter of intent—written before joining the RCMP to express his desire to support at-risk youth—was mocked by fellow officers.
"He brought that up and said he read the entire letter to the watch at the [general duty] pit. They laughed at me. They called me a bitch. They said I was a whiny brown guy," Sodhi testified.
The allegations extend to remarks made about racial profiling and domestic violence victims. Sodhi alleged that during a domestic violence call in 2021, a woman reported having a bloody lip, to which Dick responded: "The stupid bitch should have worn a mouth guard."
Sodhi claimed Mesbah made a similar comment, according to the report.
A previous report noted that Canada Soccer’s women’s program also had a toxic workplace culture, marked by allegations of bullying, inappropriate behaviour, and retaliation against staff who raised concerns.
The RCMP investigation also focused on two group chats within the detachment—one for all members of a watch group and another private chat accessible only by selected officers. According to CBC, Sodhi was told he would be invited to the private chat once he was "worthy."
He joined in March 2021 but left after a few days, describing the group as a space filled with "constant negativity." When he left, Sodhi said he was accused of "not being a team member" and was encouraged to return.
Defence lawyers, however, highlighted Sodhi’s own participation in these chats. During cross-examination, he admitted to sending offensive messages, including self-deprecating jokes about being "white-washed." One exchange presented as evidence showed Sodhi referring to himself as "Simran Singh Baljinder Preet," which the defence argued was mocking a Punjabi name.
Sodhi claimed he felt pressured to engage in this behaviour to fit in.
"I'm trying to fit in a very toxic environment, and I'm degrading myself to do that," he stated during questioning, according to another CBC report. "The reason I came forward was because I could not take this anymore."
He also defended himself against accusations of hypocrisy.
"I know why I did it. I'm not a racist," he said. "That is wrong what I did, but what these people did was far worse."
In its self-assessment on the forward direction of the Call to Action on Anti-Racism, Equity, and Inclusion in the Federal Public Service, the RCMP noted:
“We are re-aligning the strategy to reflect changing and increasingly diverse demographics, recent employee perception data, and audits led by the Office of the Auditor General on the experiences of racialized employees and outcomes of investments made in addressing persistent gaps.
“We will also be building on work undertaken by PricewaterhouseCoopers to apply an equity lens to the collection, monitoring, and reporting on human resources-related data, including EDI. This work will serve as a foundation to measure the progress of the various priority strategies in anti-racism and EDI.”
Beyond the group chats, Sodhi alleged that he was systematically bullied, particularly by Solven, who he claimed belittled him over police radio.
During one incident, Sodhi radioed Solven to stop a vehicle near a crash site.
"Over the air, he says, 'Don't f--king tell me what to do,'" Sodhi testified, according to CBC. "Everyone can hear. This man made my life a living hell."
Sodhi claimed that by 2021, he felt isolated within the detachment and that his performance was suffering due to a lack of workplace support.
Previously, a former HR director at Calgary Police Service (CPS) claimed that the workplace was rife with harassment, bullying and discrimination – and she experienced it firsthand.
