Montreal police have opened a criminal investigation into an officer from Station 39, the Montréal-Nord station at the centre of a racism scandal since June. The officer is accused of erasing video that a domestic violence victim handed over as evidence, after recognizing the suspect.
Police confirmed the inquiry on Thursday, and Radio-Canada was first to report what the officer allegedly deleted. Police said the case surfaced during the investigation into Station 39. The officer has been moved to administrative duties with no contact with the public, and could face charges, according to the Montreal police service (SPVM).
Station 39 is where, in June, the SPVM dismantled a 16-officer patrol unit. Police said the 16 were under investigation for racist and hateful acts allegedly committed against Black and Arab residents during stops. The allegations include cutting hair from racialized residents to keep as trophies. Four officers have been suspended over racist conduct this year.
The new case is a different kind of failure, but it lands on the same neighbourhood. A domestic violence victim who went to police in Montréal-Nord is alleged to have had the evidence destroyed by the officer who was supposed to use it. The SPVM has not said whether the suspect was charged.
Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada defended Police Chief Fady Dagher at a news conference on Friday. She said she has known him for two decades.
“It takes time to change a culture, and we see that resistance right now,” she said. She added that officers must report misconduct and that “every event that happens has to be explained.”
Two more downtown officers were suspended in recent days. One allegedly urinated on homeless people. The other allegedly posed for photos mocking arrested suspects in humiliating positions.
At city council this week, the opposition party Projet Montréal tabled an urgent motion demanding that Dagher appear before councillors within seven days. The mayor’s amendment passed instead. It sends the matter to a closed-door meeting with the other mayors of the agglomeration, which means the chief will not answer to council in public for now.
Dagher was scheduled to give an update on the investigations at 1 p.m. Friday from police headquarters.
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