Montreal Police Chief Fady Dagher says evidence still to emerge from a series of misconduct investigations involving his officers will be “catastrophic,” warning the public Friday that “there’s more to come.”
Dagher told reporters at a press conference he expects to provide more details in November about ongoing investigations that have led to the suspension of six officers in recent months, promising “unprecedented action” to address wrongdoing.
“You’re going to see all the evidence, and (it’s) going to be catastrophic,” Dagher said. “It’s not nice.”
“I promise you two things: the truth, and the fact that unacceptable acts will never go unpunished,” he added.
“I’m not promising you that what we’re about to reveal is pretty. There’s more to come — I’ll tell you that right now. It’s not pretty, not at all, what you’ll see, what you’ll hear.”
Dagher addressed the ongoing controversy after the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal announced that an officer could face criminal charges for allegedly concealing evidence related to a 2025 domestic violence investigation.
Radio-Canada reported Thursday that an officer responding to a call in connection with a domestic violence case in 2025 allegedly deleted video evidence provided by the victim on her phone. The report suggested the officer knew the alleged perpetrator.
Dagher said the officer connected to the alleged incident was placed on administrative duties in June after information emerged during a broader investigation into officers at a Montreal North station, SPVM Poste de quartier 39.
That investigation began in March with an internal report, according to Dagher, who said the probe was underway before allegations surfaced.
The controversy became public in June, when Dagher announced that a 16-member patrol unit at the Montreal North station had been disbanded and disarmed following allegations of racism, misconduct and criminal behaviour.
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The unit operated in a multicultural borough in the city’s northeast with a history of tensions between residents and police, including allegations of police brutality.
Police began investigating the team in March after receiving internal complaints about alleged racism and criminal misconduct, including reports that officers cut the hair of racialized citizens and kept it as trophies.
Four officers from the unit were suspended.
Dagher said Friday that five of the unit’s 16 members have since been cleared to return to regular duties, while three are on leave. Police have previously said other members were reassigned to different duties or administrative tasks.
Dagher suggested the internal report shows members of the force are breaking free from a code of silence that previously shielded officers who acted with impunity.
“On one hand, I am very, very proud of my police officers who denounced,” Dagher said. “And on the other hand, it’s so humiliating for my uniform, for the pride of my police officers, for their daily work.”
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Dagher described the behaviour of officers who disgrace the uniform as an embarrassment, while maintaining that 99 per cent of the force does an “admirable” job serving the public.
The police chief also addressed allegations involving two officers from a downtown station who were suspended Aug. 19 and Sept. 8.
Police said Friday the first officer was suspended over alleged “discriminatory acts,” while the second, suspended over alleged “derogatory” acts, is under criminal investigation.
One of those officers allegedly urinated on homeless people, while the other allegedly posed for photos mocking suspects under arrest in humiliating positions. The allegations were first reported by Montreal newspaper La Presse.
Dagher said Friday the alleged urination incident is being investigated by Quebec’s police watchdog, the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI), rather than Montreal police.
“I have to let the BEI decide what they have on it, but it’s not a file that I have,” he said.
Earlier Friday, Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada told reporters she trusts Dagher to change the culture within the police service, while stressing that maintaining trust between officers and the public is paramount.
“It takes time to change a culture, and we see that resistance right now,” Martinez Ferrada said. “We need to make sure that all police officers who see anything that doesn’t belong in the service of police should be denouncing it.”
The mayor said each allegation needs to be addressed openly as the force works to maintain the public’s confidence.
“Every event that happens has to be explained,” Martinez Ferrada said. “We need to give the trust to citizens that we are on top of it and we’re changing the culture.”
— with files from The Canadian Press
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