The leader of the Coquitlam RCMP detachment has accused three suspended officers of carrying out “a campaign of hate.” This statement came in an email sent to staff earlier this year during a code of conduct hearing involving serious allegations of homophobia, racism, and sexism.
Supt. Darren Carr, who heads the Coquitlam RCMP, addressed his team in a message after Constable Ian Solven defended himself at the hearing. Solven suggested that the stressful nature of police work contributed to his offensive posts in private chat groups.
In his detachment-wide email titled “MUST READ — CONDUCT HEARING,” Carr shared his strong reaction to the hearing. He described hearing “highly offensive, hurtful and degrading” language aimed at belittling colleagues and the public.
The email revealed Carr’s anger over sworn members openly engaging in racism, homophobia, sexism, and misogyny. He wrote that some testimony even tried to justify these actions. Carr made it clear that while everyone can be insensitive at times, the conduct of these officers was a deliberate campaign meant to hurt and divide.
Constables Ian Solven, Philip Dick, and Mersad Mesbah are facing dismissal over a series of disturbing messages. These were shared on a private chat using the Signal app and over the RCMP’s internal messaging system. The officers have been suspended since June 2021.
According to a search warrant document, the officers used slurs and made harmful comments. They allegedly bragged about “Tasering unarmed Black people,” dismissed a sexual assault case as “stupid,” and mocked female colleagues’ bodies.
The accusations have shocked many and triggered a code of conduct hearing. The hearing was interrupted abruptly in early March after Carr’s email became public and a late witness appeared, expected to challenge Solven’s testimony.
Solven’s lawyer called Carr’s email “inflammatory” and “highly problematic,” accusing RCMP leadership of trying to intimidate defense witnesses who were yet to testify.
The email sent by Carr has since been used to support a legal request to halt the proceedings. The defense claims that the email and other actions amount to an abuse of process and interference with the hearing.
The RCMP confirmed the hearing is still ongoing but no new dates or progress details have been made public.
Carr’s original email was signed by all seven members of the Coquitlam RCMP senior leadership team, showing their unified stance on the issue.
The day after the first message, Carr sent a follow-up email to clarify his position. He stressed that his first email was not meant to influence or prejudice the outcome of the independent code of conduct hearing.
He wrote, “I want to be crystal clear and leave no doubt that my email was in no way intended to influence or prejudge the outcome of the independent conduct hearing process.”
