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Montreal police say the Quebec Crown prosecution’s office is investigating an officer alleged to have committed misconduct and obstruction involving a case of domestic violence in 2025.
In a statement, police said the report surfaced during the investigation into Station 39 in Montréal-Nord, which has been at the centre of a major racism scandal since June.
Police also said the complaint originated within the police force.
The statement from police didn’t include many more details, but Radio-Canada learned that the officer is facing allegations of destroying a video on the smartphone of a woman who was a victim of domestic violence.
According to Radio-Canada, two officers — one man and one woman — responded to a residence in Montréal-Nord following an emergency call from a woman saying she had been a victim of domestic violence.
The alleged victim reportedly opened her phone to give video evidence of the abuse to the officers. As the male officer watched the video, he reportedly recognized the alleged and deleted the video in front of his police partner. She then reported his actions to two sergeants on duty.
Radio-Canada learned that female officer had to escalate her concerns because they were ignored by her supervisors.
In its news release, the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) said the investigation into the officer is ongoing and that they have reassigned the officer to administrative tasks.
He will not hold a public-facing role until the investigation ends, the SPVM said.
In a separate case, Montreal police say an officer from Station 21 in downtown Montreal has been suspended for alleged racist and discriminatory acts related to the probe regarding Station 39.
Montreal’s mayor says she believes Fady Dagher, Montreal’s police chief, wants to change the culture within the police force. (Ivanoh Demers/Radio-Canada)
Yves Francoeur, the president of the Fraternité des policiers et policières de Montréal, the union representing police officers in Montreal, told Radio-Canada it would not comment until they review the entire file.
In June, a 16-member patrol unit from Station 39 was suspended following allegations of discrimination and misconduct.
Those allegations included cutting locs from people’s hair during police interventions and collecting them as trophies.
Montreal police chief Fady Dagher will provide an update this afternoon on the allegations surrounding the Station 39 investigation.
Mayor and leader of the opposition react
Reacting to the latest allegations, Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada said Thursday that her confidence ”has been shaken” and that the police chief “has a lot of explaining to do to the citizens of Montreal.”
During a news conference on Friday, the mayor told reporters she has known Dagher for two decades and that she knows that he wants to change the police culture.
“I do trust that Fady Dagher has that intention,” she said. “It takes time to change a culture, and we see that resistance right now.”
Ericka Alneus, Montreal’s Official Opposition leader reissued a demand for Dagher to show up to city council and answer questions from local elected officials.
“I’m outraged, and profoundly irritated,” she told CBC News in an interview. “We need to rebuild trust, not to crush it.”
Alneus also expressed frustration with the mayor for not supporting Projet Montréal’s request for Dagher to be called into an emergency session last week, despite now demanding immediate answers from the chief.
“I’m thinking about all the women that are going through domestic violence,” said Alneus.
Alneus questioned how women can feel protected by police in light of these new allegations.