Whistleblower Alleges Racist and Sexist Behaviour by Coquitlam RCMP Officers

WARNING: This story contains offensive language.

A whistleblower has come forward with allegations of racist, sexist, and bullying behaviour by three Coquitlam RCMP officers, sparking an internal probe into their conduct. Const. Sam Sodhi testified at a code of conduct hearing, accusing officers Philip Dick, Ian Solven, and Mersad Mesbah of fostering a toxic workplace environment.

Sodhi, who joined the Coquitlam RCMP in 2019 with the intention of supporting at-risk youth in urban areas, claimed that he was subjected to harassment and discrimination during his time as a general duty officer. He alleged that on his second day at the detachment, his trainer, Const. Dick, made derogatory remarks about his ethnicity, referring to him as a “whiny brown guy” and pressuring him to conform to a toxic workplace culture.

Allegations of Racist Remarks and Behaviour

Sodhi further testified that he witnessed Const. Dick making racist remarks directed at various ethnic groups, including joking about wanting to Taser Black individuals. He recounted an incident where Dick made a disrespectful comment about a domestic violence victim, suggesting that she should have worn a mouth guard to prevent injury.

Bullying and Inappropriate Group Chats

According to Sodhi, there were two chat groups within the Coquitlam detachment—one for all members of the watch and a private group chat that exhibited negative and offensive behaviour. He alleged that he was belittled and excluded from the private chat group until he was deemed “worthy” of inclusion.

Sodhi described instances where Const. Solven made derogatory comments about his intelligence in group chats and on police communication logs. He also revealed an incident where Solven publicly humiliated him over the radio during a police response, creating a hostile work environment.

Feeling ostracized and unsupported, Sodhi reported the misconduct to his superiors in May 2021, prompting a chief superintendent to launch an investigation into the officers’ behaviour. The probe revealed evidence of offensive language and inappropriate conduct, including homophobic and racist slurs, in internal mobile data chat logs.

The investigation also uncovered offensive messages from WhatsApp and Signal groups associated with the officers. Sodhi’s testimony is expected to be challenged by the defendants’ legal representatives in the ongoing hearing.