Montreal police suspend fourth officer amid ongoing racism probe

Montreal police have confirmed that the latest suspension of an officer is tied to a third alleged incident of misconduct. This brings the total number of officers suspended in connection with an ongoing investigation into racism and misconduct to four.

The officer was suspended on August 19. Police stated that two officers were initially suspended over a single incident, followed by a third officer's suspension related to a second, separate event. The fourth suspension is now linked to a third distinct incident.

These developments follow the disbandment and disarming of a 16-member patrol unit in June. Police Chief Fady Dagher announced at the time that the unit was under investigation for allegations of racism, misconduct, and criminal behavior. Among the serious claims made public were that officers on the unit allegedly kept the hair of racialized citizens as trophies.

Despite these ongoing issues, Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Dagher, and the head of the police brotherhood, Yves Francoeur, held a news conference on August 21. They announced new measures aimed at improving public trust in law enforcement. However, the news conference did not address the most recent suspension of the fourth officer.

Police have declined to specify when Chief Dagher was made aware of the fourth officer's suspension, leaving further details about the timeline and the specific nature of this latest incident unclear.