Pichet expects internal affairs arrests
‘Unhealthy competition’ among factions within force, Pichet tells committee
It’s possible that factions within the Montreal police used the force’s internal affairs division as a tool to settle scores against each other, Chief Philippe Pichet conceded on Friday.
Pichet made the comment after a lengthy appearance before the city’s public security committee at city hall, where he presented an action plan to deal with the crisis within the force. In February, former police officers alleged investigators in the internal affairs division lied and fabricated evidence while investigating them. Since then, three officers have been suspended by Pichet in recent weeks and a mixed squad led by the Sûreté du Québec is investigating criminal complaints against members of the internal affairs division.
Some are alleged to have falsified evidence to investigate police officers. In the introduction to the plan presented to the committee, Pichet mentioned that he expects arrests will be made.
While presenting his plan, Pichet said the culture within the force needs to change. He said that when powers were decentralized more than a decade ago, it created “kingdoms” that did not share information. In the document presented to the committee, Pichet said the structure created “unhealthy competition” between factions. He said he realized the extent of the problem when he took over as chief in 2015.
“What did I see? I saw different teams (who worked on criminal) investigations in different factions maybe using internal affairs to resolve different problems,” Pichet said. “What I wish for the Montreal police right now is that we work as one team.”
Pichet did not place an estimate on how long it will take for the culture to disappear. He told the committee such cultural change normally takes between five and 10 years to implement. But he later noted that he was merely speaking theoretically and expressed disappointment that some reporters quickly posted on Twitter that he said it would take a decade to bring about change.
“It won’t take 10 years,” he said “We’ll do everything we (can) to make it (sooner rather than later).”
“What we want is that these modifications be done quickly, that we see changes, that the public regains confidence in the Montreal police and vice versa,” said Anie Samson, chair of the public security committee. She added it is possible the Montreal police will no longer conduct internal investigations.
“Perhaps a different model will come along. The door has been opened to find the best way to conduct internal investigations in the Montreal police. We all agree that with what happened we have to do a serious cleaning.”
Projet Montréal councillor Alexander Norris, who sits on the public security committee, said it will take “immediate steps to restore the public’s faith.”
During the hearing, Norris asked Pichet why Chief Inspector Costa Labos, the head of the internal affairs division until he was transferred out last year, wasn’t suspended without pay while he was recently investigated by the Sûreté du Québec for allegedly lying in order to obtain a warrant in an investigation.
Labos was not charged when the investigation came to an end last year but it has reportedly been reopened.
“Mr. Pichet responded that it depends on the case,” Norris later told reporters.
“If we want to restore the public’s confidence and a manager is under a criminal investigation, that person should not stay on the job. It was an error in judgment to leave him on the job.”
Pichet’s plan calls for, among many other things, nine changes to the internal affairs division. On March 20, the department started to put in place a new supervisory program developed by an outside firm. The plan also calls for a change of the police force’s disciplinary code, “which no longer holds up to today’s reality.”
Pichet will appear before the public security committee again in June.
We all agree that with what happened we have to do a serious cleaning.