Vernon officer ‘forcefully’ tried to kiss drunk colleague: RCMP conduct board

CONTENT ADVISORY

A Vernon RCMP officer facing an allegation of discreditable conduct is alleged to have forcefully tried to kiss one of his colleagues while she was drunk at a work Christmas party.

Vernon North Okanagan RCMP Const. Shaun Miranda appeared in the conference room of Vernon hotel today, Aug. 18, as the first day of a five-day court-style RCMP Conduct Board hearing began.

Const. Miranda is facing a single allegation that he behaved in a manner that is likely to discredit the RCMP, a contravention of the RCMP Code of Conduct.

Const. Miranda only spoke to say “I deny” when the dishonourable conduct allegation was read out.

The alleged incident took place in November 2023 when Const. Miranda was with 20 or so of his colleagues at a Christmas party at a home in the Adventure Bay area of Vernon.

So far at the hearing, the only mention of what took place is that Const. Miranda tried to kiss another officer in the bathroom at the party.

The Conduct Board heard that the female officer, who name is covered under a publication ban, was very drunk at the time.

The officer who took the stand today, who is not the victim, testified she was good friends with Const. Miranda and she along with several other officers, had been to his wedding a few months earlier.

The Christmas party had gone well, and as the night progressed, many officers had moved from the upstairs to the basement entertainment room, which had its own bar.

Const. Miranda spent a considerable amount of time behind the bar, making people drinks.

At some point during the night, an on-duty officer turned up, and a few officers were breathalyzed.

The officer testifying said she blew under, which surprised her, but as she wasn’t comfortable driving Const. Miranda drove her and others home.

Much of today’s proceedings focused on the ride home, as Const. Miranda, who was sober, filled his minivan and gave multiple people a ride home.

During the ride, the officer testified Const. Miranda had asked whether he got a blow job for giving her a ride home.

She’d replied jokingly, “What kind of girl do you think I am?”

She said at the time she didn’t think anything of it.

“Throughout our friendship… there were many sexual comments,” the officer said. “(He’d) quite often joke about things like that.”

It wasn’t unusual for Const. Miranda to leave a Post-it note on her desk that just said the word “penis.”

After the allegation about Const. Miranda came out, the officer said it bothered her, as they were all friends.

“It affected me, it changed friendships and a lot of things. It was tough,” she said.

It’s unclear at what stage of the evening, Const. Miranda is alleged to have tried to kiss his colleague, but she was also one of the people he gave a lift home to.

Nothing was heard about how long Const. Miranda has been in the RCMP, or whether he was still working or whether he’s been suspended with pay, which is often RCMP protocol.

The hearing will continue for the rest of the week.

The allegation has not been proven.