Former Montreal police whistleblowers claim they were silenced

Independent inquiry demanded

Four months after Montreal’s police force found itself embroiled in a controversy over spying on a journalist that garnered international attention, it’s at the centre of a new firestorm following allegations its internal affairs division made up evidence to silence whistleblower cops.

Montreal police have asked the Sûreté du Québec to investigate the accusations, but Quebec’s opposition parties are demanding an in- depth independent inquiry, arguing that police investigating police is no way to regain the public’s confidence.

Montreal’s police union said the recent slew of troub- ling stories emanating from the police force’s internal affairs division indicates it’s time the province’s public security minister launched an overhaul.

“No one can pretend that there is no problem, and we are demanding that the minister take the means to fix it,” union vice- president André Gendron said.

Public Security Minister Martin Coiteux said Wednesday using the SQ to investigate was appropriate be- cause they have the resources and investigators to do the job. Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre deemed the stories “troubling” and in need of investigation, but said police Chief Philippe Pichet, and the rank and file members of the police force have his full support.

The allegations stem from a report on TVA’s JE investigative news show that aired Tuesday night in which two former senior police officers, Jimmy Cacchione and Gio- vanni Di Feo, say they were ousted in 2014 just as they were set to inform the public security minister and the media about corruption allegations that would have hurt the reputation of thenpolice chief Marc Parent and other high- ranking officers. The city’s internal affairs division made up incriminating evidence to muzzle them and justify their dismissal, they said. Cacchione and Di Feo were served with 12 disciplinary accusations and fired, but after a legal battle, the former officers and the force came to a confidential, amicable agreement with no disciplinary charges.

On paper they are clean, but their reputations have been irreparably damaged by higher ranking officers who used the system to silence them, they said.

The news show featured other former policemen who said the force’s internal affairs department was a tool highranking officers used to settle old scores or vendettas, or to quash incriminating evidence.