Police Practice and Research Vol. 12, No. 2, April 2011, 120–135 ISSN 1561-4263 print/ISSN 1477-271X online © 2011 Taylor & Francis DOI: 10.1080/15614263.2010.508983 http://www.informaworld.com RESEARCH ARTICLE Scandals, sagging morale, and role ambiguity in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police: the end of a Canadian institution as we know it? Stephen B. Perrott a * and E. Kevin Kelloway b a Department of Psychology, Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3M 2J6, Canada; b Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Taylor and Francis Ltd GPPR_A_508983.sgm 10.1080/15614263.2010.508983 Police Practice and Research 1561-4263 print/1477-271X online Original Article 2010 Taylor & Francis 00 0000002010 StephenPerrott stephen.perrott@msvu.ca The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), an iconic and highly respected Canadian institution, has come under extreme criticism in recent years, leaving its future existence in question. This paper reviews the pivotal problems that led the RCMP to this state of crisis, using four recent scandals that have particularly eroded its reputation to illustrate. It suggests that signs of the malaise have been present for some time, but downplayed or missed due to the RCMP’s stellar reputation. The authors bolster their contention with data collected a number of years ago demonstrating that a sample of 129 RCMP constables perceived themselves to be less in control, to have less workplace social support, and experienced greater levels of psychological distress than a control group of 60 municipal constables. They conclude that the RCMP will have to undertake immediate and significant reform to regain its respected role in Canadian society. Keywords: police reform; police accountability; police–community relations; occupational health; organizational change; leadership Organizations facing change are typically bedevilled by resistance and frequently fail to successfully manage the desired transition (see Chawla & Kelloway, 2004). This resistance is likely to be especially acute in the case of traditionally organized, socially cloistered police forces when the change is precipitated by outside pressures and problems rather than planned from within (Alpert, Dunham, & Stroshine, 2006). A police institution currently facing this challenge is the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Canada’s national police force. The RCMP, fondly known as the ‘Mounties,’ is arguably the most revered and iconic of all Canadian institutions. The distinctive red serge and brown cavalry boots of the dress uniform are emblematic of Canadian justice at home and internationally; this representation is even copyrighted for sale by the Disney Corporation (see Barrington, 1995). However, the proud, almost mythical, status of the RCMP has been increasingly tested since the dawn of this millennium, and the force finds itself in a crisis of identity and under hitherto unknown public scrutiny and criticism. What factors underlie this sudden turn of fortune, which events led the Canadian public to question its faith in the RCMP as representing the highest ideals of Canadian honour and fair play and what indicators of the impending crisis were left unheeded? We seek to address these questions by arguing that three factors form the pillars of the crisis: (1) a mythology of distinctiveness and elitism; (2) a crisis of role identity; and (3) a rigid, authoritarian management structure. To illustrate, we highlight four recent scandals that drew national attention forcing the crisis to the forefront. Finally, we review some of *Corresponding author. Email: stephen.perrott@msvu.ca