Brutality, Racism Allegations Deepen Trust Gap After Years of Complaints in Montreal
Dagher said three officers were suspended and allegations were sent to prosecutors as the department reviews claims of racism and misconduct.
- Montreal Police Chief Fady Dagher disbanded a 16-member patrol unit in Montréal-Nord in June following allegations of racism, discrimination, and misconduct, suspending three officers and reassigning others while referring the case to prosecutors.
- Long-Standing community concerns about police brutality in the neighbourhood predate this scandal, with a 2019 independent report and 2024 Quebec Superior Court ruling both identifying racial profiling as a systemic issue within Montreal police.
- Investigators are reviewing claims that officers took locks of hair from residents as "trophies," while Dagher encouraged staff to report wrongdoing through a police hotline, calling it "a moral duty" under the Police Act.
- On Tuesday, Dagher is scheduled to address city officials and the public regarding the investigation, though residents remain skeptical the unit's dissolution will produce lasting change after decades of unaddressed complaints.
- These allegations highlight deep-seated institutional challenges rather than isolated incidents, with Montreal's public consultation office having previously raised concerns about a "culture of impunity" within the police force.
39 Articles
39 Articles
The director of the SPVM, Fady Dagher, will answer questions from the public this Tuesday for the first time since the racist actions allegedly committed by agents at neighborhood station 39, in Montréal-Nord. An opportunity for the police force to “start fixing the broken bones”, according to stakeholders.
Ahead of SPVM public meeting, a look back at allegations of racism within the force
As a police station in a Montreal multicultural neighbourhood grapples with allegations of racism and brutality made public in June, local residents are preparing for a public meeting with city officials and the chief of the police force on Tuesday.
Brutality, racism allegations deepen the trust gap after years of complaints in Montreal
Frantz Jean-Jacques remembers feeling hopeful after coming out of a meeting more than a decade ago with the commander of a police station in a multicultural neighbourhood of Montreal.
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