However, based on information provided on the outcome of each complaint, it appears that many were found to have been dismissed or withdrawn. That makes it difficult to determine the exact number of complaints that were substantiated. The data does not specify whether the complaint was founded or unfounded.

Hundreds of lines of data contained redactions, with the force citing unreasonable invasion of privacy.Īnd just because a complaint is filed, it doesn't mean it's of substance.

The material from the RNC was messy - sprinkled between the public and internal complaints were commendations and bravery awards, notes of when officers investigated other police forces, and more. There is a caveat when analysing all of the data. Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have filed hundreds of complaints alleging police misconduct over the last decade, the ledger shows. But the public never knew what happened to most of them - until now.

Do you have a tip about this story, or any other? Email CBC NL Investigates.

Journalists from the CBC's Atlantic investigative unit spent weeks cleaning, formatting, analyzing and checking the data. In June 2022, CBC Newfoundland and Labrador filed an access to information request with the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary asking for records related to police discipline and copies of the chief's decisions.Īfter a successful appeal to the province's information and privacy commissioner, CBC obtained a ledger with hundreds of public, internal and criminal complaints against RNC officers, containing the type of complaint and outcome of the investigations. In fact, across most of Canada police complaints are handled that way.Īs police agencies seek to maintain the trust of the public, CBC News wanted to learn more about what complaints are filed at the RNC, and what those outcomes are. When a complaint is lodged against a Royal Newfoundland Constabulary police officer, the process almost invariably unfolds behind closed doors. Journalists are using access to information laws, and in some cases court challenges, to obtain discipline records and data. Police and Public Trust, a CBC News Atlantic investigative unit project, scrutinizes the largely off-limits police complaint and discipline systems across the region.

Trust in me by j lynn