Royal Canadian Mounted Police

"RCMP" redirects here. For the TV series, see R.C.M.P. (TV series).

Royal Canadian Mounted Police
File:RCMP logo.gif Crest of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Active	1873-present
Country	Canada
Allegiance	Monarch of Canada
Role	National Police Force
Size	24,578
Garrison/HQ	A Division - National Capital B Division - Newfoundland and Labrador C Division - Quebec D Division - Manitoba E Division - British Columbia F Division - Saskatchewan G Division - Northwest Territories H Division - Nova Scotia J Division - New Brunswick K Division - Alberta L Division - Prince Edward Island M Division - Yukon O Division - Ontario T Division - Depot V Division - Nunavut
Nickname(s)	The Mounties
Motto(s)	Maintiens le droit (lit. Maintain the Right)
Battle honours	see Battle honours
Commanders
Current commander	William J. S. Elliott (Commissioner)
Honorary Commissioner	Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada
Insignia
Shoulder Flash	File:Canrcmp.jpg
Tartan	RCMP (pipes and drums)

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) (French: Gendarmerie Royale du Canada (GRC); literally Royal Gendarmery/Gendarmerie of Canada) is the federal, national and paramilitary police force of Canada and one of the most recognized forces in the world. With an on-strength establishment of 24,578 personnel, as of January 1, 2007, it is also the largest police force in Canada..

The RCMP was formed in 1920 by the merger of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police (RNWMP, founded 1873) with the Dominion Police (founded 1868). The former was originally named the North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) and was given the Royal prefix in 1904 (see List of Canadian organizations with royal patronage). Much of the present-day organization's symbology has been inherited from its days as the NWMP, including the distinctive Red Serge uniform, paramilitary heritage, and mythos as a frontier force.

Members of the RCMP (and the NWMP before it) are colloquially known as Mounties. Internally, the organization is referred to as The Force, and members of the force are referred to as Members.

The RCMP/GRC wording is specfically protected under the Trade-marks Act. Section 9(o) "Prohibited Marks" states:

No person shall adopt in connection with a business, as a trade-mark or otherwise, any mark consisting of, or so nearly resembling as to be likely to be mistaken for the name "Royal Canadian Mounted Police" or "R.C.M.P." or any other combination of letters relating to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, or any pictorial representation of a uniformed member thereof.

Responsibilities

File:RCMP officer Expo 67.jpg

The RCMP are closely associated with the Red Serge tunic and Stetson as shown here at Expo 67 in Montreal.

As the federal police force of Canada, the RCMP is responsible for enforcing federal laws. Unlike most other federal police forces, however, it also has a major role in front-line policing throughout the country. Although the provinces of Canada are constitutionally responsible for law and order, eight of them have chosen to contract most or all of their policing responsibilities to the RCMP. The RCMP consequently operates under the direction of the provinces in regard to provincial and municipal law enforcement. The exceptions are Ontario, Quebec, and parts of Newfoundland and Labrador, which have retained their own provincial police forces: the Ontario Provincial Police, the Sûreté du Québec, and the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, respectively. In Canada's three territories, the RCMP serves as the sole territorial police force. Additionally, many municipalities throughout Canada contract the RCMP to serve as their police force.

Accordingly, the RCMP is responsible for an unusually large breadth of duties, from policing in isolated rural towns, the far North and urban areas; protection service for the Prime Minister and the Canadian government, visiting dignitaries, and diplomatic missions; enforcement of federal laws, including wire fraud, counterfeiting, and other related matters; counterterrorism and domestic security; and various international policing efforts. The RCMP Security Service was a specialized political intelligence and counterintelligence branch with national security responsibilities. The Security Service was replaced with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service in 1984 following revelations of illegal covert operations relating to the Quebec separatist movement.

Duties, conduct and operational and reporting guidelines are very specifically laid out in a detailed document known as the Commissioner's Standing Orders, or 'CSOs'.

History

The predecessor of the RCMP, the North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) was created on May 23, 1873, by Sir [[ Alexander Mackenzie]], the second Prime Minister of Canada, with the intent of bringing law and order to (and asserting Canadian sovereignty over) the North-West Territories (which then included modern day Alberta, Nunavut, Saskatchewan, and most of modern Manitoba). This need was particularly urgent with reports of American whisky traders, in particular those of Fort Whoop-Up, causing trouble in the region, culminating in the Cypress Hills Massacre. The force was initially to be called the North West Mounted Rifles, but that was rejected as too military in nature, Macdonald fearing that this could antagonize both the First Nations and the Americans. Acting on a suggestion in his cabinet, Macdonald had the force wear red uniforms. The force was organized like a British cavalry regiment and still maintains some of the traditions of those units, like the well known Canadian Musical Ride, to this day.

NWMP Lancer, 1875.

Early activities

The initial force, commanded by Colonel George Arthur French, set out from Fort Dufferin, Manitoba on July 8 1874 on a march to what is now Alberta. The group was comprised of 22 officers, 287 men — called Constables and Sub-Constables — 310 horses, 67 wagons, 114 ox-carts, 18 yoke of oxen, 50 cows and 40 calves. An account of the journey was recorded in the pictures of Henri Julien, an artist from the Canadian Illustrated News, who accompanied the expedition.

Historians have theorized that failure of the 1874 "March West" would not have ended the Canadian federal government's vision of settling the country's western plains, but would have delayed it for many years. In particular, a failure would have encouraged the Canadian Pacific Railway to seek a route for its transcontinental railway that went through the well-mapped and partially settled valley of the North Saskatchewan River, touching on Prince Albert, Battleford and Edmonton. There would have been no economic reason for the creation of cities like Brandon, Regina, Moose Jaw, Swift Current, Medicine Hat and Calgary. That, in turn, would have tempted American expansionists to make a play for the Canadian prairies' flat, empty southern regions. In effect, the history of Canada would have been radically different had French and his men failed.

The NWMP's early activities included containing the whisky trade and enforcing agreements with the First Nations peoples. To that end, the commanding officer of the force arranged to be sworn in as a justice of the peace, which allowed for magisterial authority in the Mounties' jurisdiction. In the early years, the force's dedication to enforcing the law on the First Nations peoples' behalf impressed them enough to encourage good relations. In the summer of 1876, Sitting Bull and thousands of Sioux were fleeing the US Military to southern Saskatchewan, and James Morrow Walsh of the NWMP was charged with maintaining control in the large Sioux settlement at Wood Mountain. Walsh and Sitting Bull became good friends, and the peace at Wood Mountain was maintained. In 1885, the NWMP helped to quell the North-West Rebellion led by Louis Riel.

Klondike Gold Rush

NWMP officers, Yukon, 1900.

In 1894, concerned about the influx of American miners and the liquor trade, the Canadian government sent inspector Charles Constantine to report on conditions in the Yukon. Constantine correctly forecast a coming gold rush and urgently recommended sending a force to secure Canadian sovereignty and collect customs duties. He returned the following year with a force of 20 men. The NWMP distinguished itself during the Klondike gold rush (started in 1896) under the command of Constantine and his successor in 1898, the more famous Sam Steele. The NWMP made the Klondike gold rush one of the most peaceful and orderly such affairs in history. The NWMP not only enforced criminal law, but also collected customs duties, established a number of rules such as the "ton of goods" requirement for prospectors to enter the Yukon to avoid another famine, mandatory boat inspections for those wanting to travel the Yukon River, and created the "Blue ticket" used to expel undesirables from the Klondike. The Mounties did tolerate certain illegal activities such as gambling and prostitution. Also, the force did not succeed in its attempt to establish order and Canadian sovereignty in Skagway, Alaska at the head of the Lynn Canal, and instead created the customs post at the summit of the Chilkoot Pass. Ironically, the dissolution of the NWMP was being discussed around that time in Parliament, but the Mounties' conduct so impressed the gold rush prospectors that the force became famous around the world, ensuring its continuation...

Evolution of the force

In 1903, jurisdiction was extended to the Arctic coast with the establishment of a post at Cape Fullerton; in 1905, to Alberta and Saskatchewan; in 1912, to northern Manitoba.

In 1919, the RNWMP was used to repress the Winnipeg General Strike, when officers fired into a crowd of strikers, killing two and causing injuries to thirty others. The scale of that strike was not repeated, but clashes between the RCMP and strikers continued, through the 1930s. Mounties killed three strikers in 1931 when striking coal miners from Bienfait, Saskatchewan demonstrated in nearby Estevan ( see Estevan Riot ).

Following World War I, the Mounties increasingly were considered an outdated institution, more appropriate to the 19th century frontier than industrializing 20th century Canada, and they were threatened with extinction. The Mounties were saved, however, by merging with the Dominion Police on February 1, 1920 and renamed the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, with responsibility for federal law enforcement in all provinces and territories. In addition to its expanded jurisdiction, the new RCMP set about establishing its modern role as the protectors of Canadian national security, particularly from the supposed communist threat. The RCMP assumed responsibility for national counter-intelligence. In practice, the Mounties not only took a keen interest in the Communist Party proper, but in the militant labour movement of the interwar period generally.

In 1935, the RCMP, collaborating with the Regina Police Service, crushed the On-to-Ottawa Trek by sparking the Regina Riot, in which one city police officer and one protester were killed. The Trek, which had been organized to call attention to the abysmal conditions in the relief camps, therefore failed to reach Ottawa, but nevertheless had profound political reverberations.

RCMP patrolling with sled dogs, 1957.

The RCMP employed special constables to assist with strikebreaking in the interwar period. For a brief period in the late 1930s, a volunteer militia group, the Legion of Frontiersmen were affiliated with the RCMP. Many members of the RCMP belonged to this organization, which was prepared to serve as an auxiliary force. In later years, special constables performed duties such as policing airports and, in certain Canadian provinces, the court houses.

The RCMP also began actively enforcing Canada's new drug laws in the 1920s, and provided assistance to numerous other federal agencies, such as helping immigration officials deport immigrants and enforcing the residential school system for First Nations' children.

In 1932, men and vessels of the Preventive Service, National Revenue, were absorbed, creating the RCMP Marine Section. The acquisition of the RCMP schooner St. Roch facilitated the first effective patrol of Canada's Arctic territory. It was the first vessel to navigate the Northwest Passage from west to east (1940–42), the first to navigate the Passage in one season (1944), and the first to circumnavigate North America (1950).

Counter-intelligence work was moved from the RCMP's Criminal Investigation Department to a specialized intelligence branch, the RCMP Security Service, in 1939.

Post-war

Following the 1945 defection of Soviet cipher clerk, Igor Gouzenko and his revelations of espionage, the RCMP Security Service implemented measures to screen out “subversive” elements from the public sector. What began as a perceived need to create a bulwark against communism had, by the 1950s, been extended to homosexuality because homosexual acts were illegal, considered a sign of “character weakness,” and because the KGB could use it to blackmail civil servants into revealing state secrets. Scores of people were fired as part of this campaign, which included the development of a “fruit machine.” This machine was based on the premise that changes in pupil dilation when viewing beefcake photos of nude men would scientifically determine whether or not a test subject was gay. After four years, the machine failed to produce results, and the program was discontinued.

In the late 1970s, revelations surfaced that the RCMP Security Service force had in the course of their intelligence duties engaged in crimes such as burning a barn and stealing documents from the separatist Parti Québécois, and other abuses. This led to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Certain Activities of the RCMP, better known as the "McDonald Commission", named after the presiding judge, Mr Justice David Cargill McDonald. The Commission recommended that the force's intelligences duties be removed in favour of the creation of a separate intelligence agency, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).

Modern era

An RCMP Toyota Prius school liaison car in Ottawa.

In 1993, the Special Emergency Response Team (SERT), were transferred to the Canadian Forces, creating a new unit called Joint Task Force Two (JTF2). JTF2 inherited some equipment and SERT's former training base near Ottawa.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have been involved in training and logistically supporting the Haitian National Police since 1994, a controversial matter in Canada considering allegations of widespread human rights violations on the part of the HNP. Some Canadian activist groups have called for an end to the RCMP training.The RCMP has also provided training overseas in Iraq and other peace-keeping missions.

Main article: Mayerthorpe Incident

On March 3, 2005, four RCMP officers were shot dead during an operation to recover stolen property and investigate a possible marijuana grow-op in Rochfort Bridge, Alberta. Shooter Jim Roszko, 46, then shot and killed himself. It was the single worst multiple killing of RCMP officers since the Northwest Rebellion. One of the four Mounties killed had been on the job for only seventeen days. The victims were:

• Const. Lionide (Leo) Nicholas Johnston, 34 — Mayerthorpe Detachment
• Const. Anthony Fitzgerald Orion Gordon, 28 — Whitecourt Town Detachment General Policing and Highway Patrol
• Const. Brock Warren Myrol, 29 — Mayerthorpe Detachment
• Const. Peter Christopher Schiemann, 25 — Mayerthorpe Detachment General Policing and Highway Patrol

On October 29,2005, constable Paul Koester shot and killed Ian Bush while he was in custody. An internal investigation resulted in no action being taken against the constable, and, as a result, a public inquest was commissioned. The inquest recommended that the RCMP refrain from carrying out internal investigations with regards to fatal incidents involving the RCMP and the public.

Main article: Spiritwood Incident

On July 7, 2006, two RCMP officers were shot and killed near Mildred, Saskatchewan. The alleged killer, Curtis Dagenais, 41, was missing until July 18, when he turned himself in. The victims were:

• Const. Robin Cameron, 29 - Spiritwood Detachment
• Const. Marc Bourdages, 26 - Spiritwood Detachment

In 2006, the United States Coast Guard's Ninth District and the RCMP began a program called "Shiprider", in which 12 Mounties from the RCMP detachment at Windsor and 16 Coast Guard boarding officers from stations in Michigan ride in each other's vessels. The intent is to allow for seamless enforcement of the international border. (PA1 John Masson, "Territorial Teamwork", Coast Guard Magazine 2/2006, pp. 26-27).

On December 6, 2006, RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli resigned one day after informing the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security that his earlier testimony about the Maher Arar case was inaccurate. The RCMP had improperly given information to the US that resulted in Arar, a Canadian returning to Montreal via the US, being forcibly sent to Syria where he was imprisoned for 10 months and tortured into signing a false confession of links to terrorists. Earlier, on September 28, 2006 and before the same Commons committee, Commissioner Zaccardelli had issued a carefully-worded public apology to Arar and his family:

Mr. Arar, I wish to take this opportunity to express publicly to you and to your wife and to your children how truly sorry I am for whatever part the actions of the RCMP may have contributed to the terrible injustices that you experienced and the pain that you and your family endured.

On January 26, 2007, after months of negotiations between the Canadian government and Arar's Canadian legal counsel, Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a formal apology "for any role Canadian officials may have played in what happened to Mr. Arar, Monia Mazigh and their family in 2002 and 2003" and announced that Arar would receive $10.5 million settlement for his ordeal and an additional $1 million for legal costs.

See also: Maher Arar

On October 6, 2007, Constable Christopher John Worden of Hay River Detachment, Northwest Territories was shot and killed in Hay River while on duty in that community. A nation-wide arrest warrant was issued for Emrah Bulatci. Bulatci was apprehended on October 12 in Edmonton, Alberta.

On October 14, 2007, Robert Dziekański, a Polish immigrant, was killed at Vancouver International Airport. Dziekański had failed to clear customs and after 8 hours became agitated. RCMP officers were called to the scene after he threw a computer and a small table. Although Dziekański did not appear to be resisting arrest, he was tasered at least twice within about 25 seconds of the officers arriving. After dropping to the floor, he was pinned face-down and handcuffed by four officers. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. The incident was videotaped and eventually released to the public, resulting in a public outcry over the RCMP's handling of the incident and has provoked considerable debate about the use of tasers in policing.

On November 6, 2007, Constable Doug Scott, 20, was killed in Kimmirut, Nunavut when responding to a report of a possible impaired driver. He had been with the service for only six months. [1]

In 2007, the RCMP was named Newsmaker of the Year by the Canadian Press. [2]

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History of the RCMP uniform

The RCMP are famous for their distinctive Red Serge, a scarlet ceremonial uniform with a Stetson hat with a wide, flat brim, which is worn on special occasions, and the Musical Ride (a ceremony in which officers showcase their horse riding skills and uniform in the execution of a variety of intricate figures and cavalry drills with music). On normal duties, the RCMP uses standard police methods, equipment, and uniforms. Horses are no longer used operationally by any unit.

The Red Serge tunic that identified initially the NWMP, and later the RNWMP and RCMP, is of the standard British military pattern. The NWMP was originally kitted out from militia stores, resulting initially in several different styles of tunic, although the style later became standardized. This style was used to both to emphasize the British nature of the force and to differentiate it from the blue American military uniforms. The blue shoulder epaulets were added in the 1920s, long after King Edward VII granted the Force "Royal" status for its service in the Second Boer War, replacing gold-trimmed scarlet straps from the earlier uniforms. Currently, RCMP personnel under the rank of inspector wear blue "gorget" patches on the collar, while officers from inspector to commissioner have solid blue collars, along with blue pointed-sleeve cuffs.

Re-enactors portraying the NWMP K Troop.

Initially the NWMP wore buff trousers. Later dark blue trousers with yellow-gold strapping (stripes) were adopted. Members of the NWMP were known to exchange kit with U.S. cavalry units along the border and it is suggested that this was the initial source for the trousers; however, blue trousers were considered early on, although with a white strap. Dark blue with yellow-gold strapping is another British cavalry tradition, and Canadian city police forces frequently wear dark blue trousers with a narrow red strap of infantry tradition.

The wide, flat-brimmed Stetson hat was not adopted officially until about 1904. Although the NWMP contingent at Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee wore the Stetson, it was an unofficial item of dress. The primary official headdress at the time was the white British foreign service helmet, also known as a pith helmet. This was not particularly practical as headdress in the Canadian west, and members wore a Stetson type hat on patrol and around camp. Sam Steele is often credited with introducing the Stetson-type hat, and when he left the force to command Lord Strathcona's Horse and took the regiment to South Africa he also adopted the Stetson for this unit.

Black riding boots were later changed to the modern brown style. The original crossbelts were later changed to the brown Sam Browne type currently worn. The brown colour of the boots and belt worn with the Red Serge come from the individual member applying numerous coats of polish, often during their time in training at Depot Division.

Sidearms are standard now, but were often not worn in the early years.

The everyday uniform consists of a grey shirt with dark blue tie, dark blue trousers with gold strapping, regular patrol boots called "ankle boots", regular duty equipment, and a regular policeman's style cap. A blue Gore-Tex open-collar jacket is worn by constables, corporals, sergeants, and staff sergeants while a dark blue jacket, with a white shirt in place of the grey shirt, is worn by sergeants major, certain non-commissioned officers (NCOs) usually involved in aspects of recruit training or media relations, and all officers from inspector to commissioner. Short-sleeved shirts are worn in the summer by all members with constables and NCOs not wearing the tie, and officers wearing the tie year round. Winter dress consists of a long-sleeved shirt and tie for all members and, depending on the climate of the detachment area, heavier boots, jackets and a fur cap are worn.

In British Columbia the hat features a black bearskin rim belt.

In 1990, Baltej Singh Dhillon became the first Sikh officer in the RCMP to be allowed to wear a turban instead of the traditional stetson. On March 15, the federal government, not without its protesters, decided that Sikhs may wear turbans while serving as RCMP officers.

Women in the RCMP

On May 23 1974 RCMP Commissioner M.J. Nadon announced that the RCMP would begin to accept applications for female members of the force. This opened up positions that had been previously reserved for male members. Troop 17 was the first troop of 32 female regular members, who arrived at Depot in Regina on September 18 and 19, 1974 to start training. This first all female troop graduated from Depot on March 3, 1975.

In 1981 the first female was promoted to corporal and the first females served on the musical ride; in 1987 the first female served in a foreign post; in 1990 the first female was appointed detachment commander; in 1992 the first female officers were commissioned and in 1998 the first female Assistant Commissioner was appointed.

From December 15 2006 to July 2007, Beverley Busson served as interim Commissioner of the RCMP, making her the first woman to hold the top position in the force. She was replaced by William J.S. Elliott on August 10 2007, the first civilian to lead the RCMP.

Organization

The RCMP divides the country into divisions for command purposes. In general, each division is coterminous with a province (for example, C Division is Quebec). The province of Ontario, however, is divided into two divisions: A Division (Ottawa) and O Division (rest of the province). There is one additional division — Depot Division, which is the RCMP Academy at Regina, Saskatchewan, and the Police Dog Service Training Centre at Bowden, Alberta. The RCMP headquarters are located in Ottawa, Ontario.

• British Columbia: RCMP "E" Division
• Alberta: K Division
• Saskatchewan: F Division
• Manitoba: D Division
• Ontario: O Division and A Division (National Capital Region Ottawa)
• Quebec: C Division
• Newfoundland and Labrador: B Division
• Nova Scotia: H Division
• New Brunswick: J Division
• Prince Edward Island: L Division
• Yukon Territory: M Division
• Nunavut: V Division
• Northwest Territories: G Division
• RCMP Academy at Regina, Sask. and Police Dog Service Training Centre at Innisfail, Alta.: Depot Division

Ranks

The rank system of the RCMP illustrates their origin as a paramilitary force. The insignia were based upon the Canadian army of the time, which is almost identical to that of the current British Army. Higher ranks have been increased over the years since the formation of the force, whereas the rank of inspector, which was initially a subaltern, is now a field officer level, the lower officer ranks having been dropped. With the military introducing the warrant officer, the RCMP non-commissioned officers were maintained using the older military style.

The ranks of the RCMP, in English and French with their insignia, are (numbers as of January 1, 2007):

File:Superintendent Larsen RCMP.jpg

Superintendent Henry Larsen in full 1959 dress.

Name of rank in English	Name of rank in French	Number	Insignia
Commissioner	Commissaire	1	File:Rcmp-commissioner.jpg
Deputy Commissioner	Sous-commissaire	8	File:Rcmp-depcommissioner.jpg
Assistant Commissioner	Commissaire adjoint	25	File:Rcmp-asstcommissioner.jpg
Chief Superintendent	Surintendant principal	58	File:Rcmp-chiefsuperintendent.jpg
Superintendent	Surintendant	159	File:Rcmp-superintendent.jpg
Inspector	Inspecteur	373	File:Rcmp-inspector.jpg
Corps Sergeant-Major	Sergent-major du corps	0	File:Rcmp-corpssergeantmajor.jpg
Sergeant-Major	Sergent-major	7	File:Rcmp-sergeantmajor.jpg
Staff Sergeant-Major	Sergent-major d'état major	9	File:Rcmp-staffsergeantmajor.jpg
Staff Sergeant	Sergent d'état-major	788	File:Rcmp-staffsergeant.jpg
Sergeant	Sergent	1,716	File:Rcmp-sergeant.jpg
Corporal	Caporal	3,100	File:Rcmp-corporal.jpg
Constable	Gendarme	10,666

The ranks of inspector and higher are commissioned ranks and are appointed by the Governor-in-Council. Depending on the dress, badges are worn on the shoulder as slip-ons, on shoulder boards, or directly on the epaulettes. The lower ranks are non-commissioned officers and the insignia continues to be based on British army patterns. Since 1990, the non-commissioned officers’ rank insignia has been embroidered on the epaulette slip-ons. Non-commissioned rank badges are worn on the right sleeve of the scarlet/blue tunic and blue jacket. The constables wear no rank insignia. There are also special constables, auxiliary constables, and students who wear identifying insignia.

The current number in each rank is identified in the third column. Several provinces have indicated increasing the numbers. Number of others are listed below:

• Special constables 63
• Auxiliary constables 2,400
• Civilian members 2,978
• Public servants 4,626

Special constables are employees of RCMP, have varied duties depending on where they are deployed, but are often given this designation because of an expertise they possess which needs to be applied in a certain area. For example, an Aboriginal person might be appointed a special constable in order to assist regular members as they police an Aboriginal community where English is not well understood, and where the special speaks the language well.

From the early years of policing in northern Canada, and well into the 1950s, local aboriginal people were hired by the RCMP as special constables and were employed as guides and to source and care for sled dog teams. Many of these former special constables still reside in the North to this day and are still involved in regimental functions of the RCMP, especially with Canada's declaration that 2005 be recognized as the "Year of the Veteran".

Auxiliary constables are volunteers within their own community. They are not police officers and can not identify themselves as such. However, they are given peace officer powers when on duty with a regular member. Their duty consist of mostly cordoning areas, participate in community policing, backup in situations where regular members are overwhelmed. They are identified by the wording of 'RCMP Auxiliary' on cars, jackets and shoulder flashes.

Civilian members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are not delegated the powers of a police officer. They are hired for their specialized scientific, technological, communications and administrative skills. Since the RCMP is a multi-faceted law enforcement organization with responsibilities for federal, provincial and municipal policing duties, it offers employment opportunities for civilian members as professional partners within Canada's national police force.

Civilian members represent approximately 14% of the total RCMP employee population, and are employed within RCMP establishments in most geographical areas of Canada. The following is a list of the most common categories of employment that may be available to interested and qualified individuals.

Scientific

• Toxicology
• Chemistry
• Biology - DNA
• Law

Technical

File:Measuring fingerprints w compass RCMP.jpg

A member of the RCMP demonstrates fingerprinting technique.

• Forensic Identification Services
• Instrument Technology
• Document Examination
• Counterfeit Analysis
• Firearms Technology
• Electronics Technology
• Information Technology
• Communications

Computer systems development

• Telecommunications
• Information Services/Public Affairs
• Administrative
• Policy Development & Analysis
• Staff Development & Training
• Human Resource Management
• Translation
• Police Records Information Management Environment (PRIME-BC)

Car fleet

• Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor
• Chevrolet Caprice
• Chevrolet Impala
• Ford Explorer

Aircraft inventory

As of January 2007 the Aerospace Source Book (ASB) published by Aviation Week & Space Technology showed the RCMP operating a fleet of 33 aircraft (8 helicopters and 25 fixed-wing aircraft. As of 1 April 2007 the RCMP had 41 aircraft (11 helicopters and 30 fixed-wing aircraft) registered with Transport Canada (TC). All aircraft are operated and maintained by the Air Services Branch. Only the Twin Otter and the Avanti are twin-engine aircraft, all the others, including the helicopters, are single engine.

RCMP Fleet

Aircraft	Number (ASB)	Number (TC)	Variants	Idents	Notes
Bell 206 JetRanger	4	3	L-1, L-4	C-FMPK, C-GMPA, C-GMPV	Helicopter, JetRanger
Cessna 182 Skylane	1	1	182Q	C-GFZV	Fixed wing, Skylane, light utility aircraft
Cessna 206 Stationair	1	5	U206G,T206H	C-FDGM, C-FDTM, C-FHGY, C-FSWC, C-GTJN	Fixed wing, Stationair (Station wagon of the Air), general aviation aircraft
Cessna 208 Caravan	3	3	208, 208B	C-FRPH, C-FSUJ, C-GMPR	Fixed wing, Caravan, short-haul regional airliner and utility aircraft
Cessna 210 Centurion	4	4	210R	C-FMOM, C-GHVP, C-GNMK, C-GTCT	Fixed wing, Centurion, high-performance general aviation aircraft
de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver	0	1	Turbo-Beaver III	C-FMPC	Fixed wing, bush plane
de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter	2	2	300 Series	C-FMPL, C-GMPJ	Fixed wing, 20-passenger STOL feederliner and utility aircraft
Eurocopter EC 120 Colibri	0	1	EC 120B	C-GMPT	Light helicopter, "Hummingbird"
Eurocopter AS 350 Ecureuil	4	7	AS 350B3	C-FGSB, C-FMPG, C-FMPH, C-FMPP, C-FRPQ, C-GMPK, C-GMPN	Helicopter, AStar 350 or "Squirrel"
Piaggio P180 Avanti	1	1	P180	C-GFOX	Fixed wing, business aircraft, pusher configured
Pilatus PC-12	13	13	PC-12/45	C-FMPA, C-FMPB, C-FMPE, C-FMPN, C-FMPO, C-FMPW, C-GFLA, C-GMPE, C-GMPI, C-GMPP, C-GMPW, C-GMPY, C-GMPZ	Fixed wing, turboprop passenger and cargo aircraft

The RCMP in popular culture

A collection of RCMP souvenirs from around Canada.

The Mounties have been immortalized as symbols of Canadian culture in numerous Hollywood movies and television series, which often feature the image of the Mountie as square-jawed, stoic, and polite, yet with a steely determination and physical toughness that sometimes appears superhuman. Coupled with the adage that the Mountie "always gets his man", the image projects them as fearsome, incorruptible, dogged yet gentle champions of the law. (In actual fact, the RCMP's motto is Maintiens le droit, French for "Uphold the law" The Hollywood motto derives from a comment by the Montana newspaper, the Fort Benton Record: "They fetch their man every time."

In 1912, Ralph Connor's Corporal Cameron of the North West Mounted Police: A Tale of the MacLeod Trail appeared, becoming an international best-selling novel. Mountie fiction became a popular genre in both pulp magazines and book form. Among the best-selling authors who specialized in tales of the Mounted Police were James Oliver Curwood, James B Hendryx, T Lund, Harwood Steele (the son of Sam Steele) and William Byron Mowery.

In other media, a famous example is the radio and television series, Sergeant Preston of the Yukon. Dudley Do-Right (of The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show) is a 1960s example of the comic aspect of the Mountie myth. The Broadway musical and Hollywood movie Rose Marie is a 1930s example of its romantic side. A successful combination were a series of Renfrew of the Royal Mounted boy's adventure novels written by Laurie York Erskine beginning in 1922 running to 1941. In the 1930s Erskine narrated a Sgt Renfrew of the Mounties radio show and a series of films with actor-singer James Newill playing Renfrew were released between 1937 and 1940. In 1953 portions of the films were mixed with new sequences of Newill for a Renfrew of the Mounted television series.

A former Mounted Police corporal (1919-1923), Bruce Carruthers, served as an unofficial technical advisor to Hollywood in many films on the Force.

The Royal Canadian Kilted Yaksmen on the animated television series The Ren and Stimpy Show is clearly a reference to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Modern culture

Canadians also poke fun at the RCMP with Sergeant Renfrew and his faithful dog Cuddles in various sketches produced by the Royal Canadian Air Farce comedy troupe. On That 70's Show Mounties were played by SCTV alums Joe Flaherty and Dave Thomas. The British have also exploited the myth: the BBC television series Monty Python's Flying Circus featured a group of Mounties singing the chorus in The Lumberjack Song in the lumberjack sketch.

The Mounties on parade in Iqaluit, Canada Day, 1999.

The 1972-90 CBC series The Beachcombers featured a character named Constable John Constable who attempted to enforce the law in the town of Gibsons, British Columbia.

In the early 1990s, Canadian professional wrestler Jacques Rougeau utilized the gimmick of "The Mountie" while wrestling for the WWF. He typically wore the Red Serge to the ring, and carried a shock stick as an illegal weapon. He briefly held the Intercontinental Championship in 1992.

The 1998 swan song of Nick Berry's time on UK drama Heartbeat featured his character, Sergeant Nick Rowan, transferring to Canada and taking the rank of constable in the Mounties. The special telemovie was titled Heartbeat: Changing Places.

More recently, the 1994–98 TV series Due South paired a Mountie (and his deaf pet wolf) with a streetwise American detective cleaning up the streets of Chicago, mainly deriving its entertainment from the perceived differences in attitude between these two countries' police forces. A pair of Mounties staffed the RCMP Detachment in the fictional town of Lynx River, Northwest Territories, in the CBC series North of 60. The series, which aired from 1992 to 1998, was about events in the native community of the town, but the Mounties featured prominently in each episode.

Another TV series from 1990s, Bordertown featured a NWMP corporal paired with a U.S. marshal securing law and order on a frontier U.S.-Canadian bordertown. The Mounties also briefly appeared in an episode of Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, when after a mind taking battle between Mentok and Shado, the entire jury in the courtroom seems to have turned into Mounties. In the ABC TV Answered By Fire, there are at least three mounties featured. World Wrestling Federation wrestler Jacques Rougeau's early-90s ring character "The Mountie" wrestled in apparel reminiscent of the Red Serge. As his character was portrayed as an evil Mountie, the RCMP ultimately won an injunction preventing Rougeau from wrestling as this character in Canada, though he was not prevented from doing so outside the country.

Mountie merchandise

There are products and merchandise that are made in the image of the RCMP, like Mountie statues or Mountie hats. Before 1995, the RCMP had little control over these products. The Mounted Police Foundation was set up in 1995 to handle the licensing issues to ensure only high-quality products were sold. However, as the Mounted Police Foundation did not have the expertise on licensing and marketing, they contracted these responsibilities out to Walt Disney Co. (Canada) Ltd., the Toronto-based branch of The Walt Disney Company. This generated some controversies, as some people feared that the deal would threaten the Canadian autonomy in representing Canada [3]. The contract with Disney expired in 2000. The licensing program is now operated by the Mounted Police Foundation.

The RCMP Heritage Centre is a multi-million dollar museum designed by Arthur Erickson that opened May 2007 in Regina, Saskatchewan at the RCMP Academy, Depot Division. It replaced the old RCMP museum and is designed to celebrate the role of the force in Canada's history.

See also

• Canadian Security Intelligence Service
• Emergency Response Team (RCMP)
• List of Canadian organizations with royal patronage
• Security of Information Act
• Security clearances
• RCMP Academy, Depot Division
• RCMP Recruiting
• RCMP Auxiliary Program
• Scandals surrounding the RCMP
• North West Mounted Police (1940 film)

Similar federal authorities in other countries

• Federal Preventive Police and Rurales in Mexico
• French National Police and Gendarmerie Nationale (France)
• Carabinieri of Italy
• Guardia Civil of Spain

External links

• The official website of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
• Royal Canadian Mounted Police Gazette
• The Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP
• RCMP Wanted list
• Proceedings of the Special Senate Committee on the Anti-terrorism Act on both RCMP and CSIS
• RCMP Heritage Centre
• RCMP North West Mounted Police in Literature and History
• RCMP Honor Roll