SPVM chief Fady Dagher says he can’t recruit enough new cops and that, considering retirements and resignations, he’s only getting 10 new people a year. But he says the recent boost in salaries might help.
The city plans a second forum on armed violence this fall. It’s also considering the creation of a non‑crime‑related emergency line for mental health crises and the like.
Ephraim 15:06 on 2023-06-21 Permalink
I wish someone would sit down with him and explain that it’s not the salary… it’s the force itself.
They aren’t respected. And they won’t be as long as the brotherhood has it’s way. Citizens want to feel that the police are under the same rules that we are. You cannot put a homeless man in the back of the vehicle and dump him (officers Pierre-Luc Furlotte and Patrick Guay) and you can’t stop a man for driving while black. How many police were involved in a black man dancing next to his car? 6! And another was given a $149 ticket for singing C&C Factory in his car. How do they want us to respect them? And when they are caught, management not only doesn’t do anything, but they aren’t held accountable either. To this day, I still so many questions, like how they could leave their assigned district, who signed the duty sheet? Who signed on the car mileage, gas bill? Why was the car not flagged by GPS? Why was management not aware that these two weren’t where they were supposed to be for HOURS… all questions that should have been asked by a Civilian oversight committee. But we don’t have a proper Civilian oversight committee.
They want overtime pay for directing traffic. But by doing so, they are showing us that they aren’t there to police, but rather to replace a traffic light that isn’t fully automated.
And of course, who, as a PoC or immigrant wants to go into a force that is so damn discriminatory?
Also, are we going to be the last police force on earth to add the ability to SMS/MMS to the police? You see a crime and you can’t even send them a photo of the licence plate or send them a google map with the location.
Dominic 15:24 on 2023-06-21 Permalink
Maybe we could get some bodycams too for Ephraim’s wishlist. The only major North American city without them. Absurd!
JaneyB 15:35 on 2023-06-21 Permalink
@Ephraim – Send Dagher your list. He seems genuine even if other elements of the force are opportunistic/careless/racist. I’m sure many cops are mostly decent and fairly committed. Clearly the institutional aspects though need a big revamp.
Chris 11:36 on 2023-06-22 Permalink
>They aren’t respected.
Maybe not in your bubble. But actual polling disagrees: “three-quarters view the police in their community favourably, despite concerns about how officers may treat some demographics. For a similar number, 72 per cent, local police are a source of pride. This includes two-thirds of Indigenous and visible minority respondents.”
Ian 11:58 on 2023-06-22 Permalink
2 can play the polls game.
“More than 80% of Montrealers think an independent inquiry is the only way to shed light on allegations of police corruption, a poll suggests.”
https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/montrealers-want-an-inquiry-into-police-corruption-allegations-poll
“Fewer than half of Canadians feel safer when they see a police officer, poll finds
Considering the primary purpose of policing, it reveals a disconnect for Canada’s police agencies and highlights fractures in relations within their local communities”
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/fewer-than-half-of-canadians-feel-safer-when-they-see-a-police-officer-poll-finds
Ian 14:45 on 2023-06-22 Permalink
Of course not being white affects perspectives, too …
https://twitter.com/TedRutland/status/1671950362008322070?t=qz_ZReTBPaSR0zLfzeSSWQ&s=19
Joey 17:08 on 2023-06-22 Permalink
Ted Rutland is right on… The Fady Dagher era – meet the new boss, same as the old boss: https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/grand-montreal/2023-06-22/spvm/les-policiers-pourront-encore-interpeller-sans-motif.php
“Le SPVM ne mettra pas fin aux interpellations sans motif comme suggère le rapport qu’il a commandé. Fady Dagher ne veut pas annoncer une « mesure symbolique » pour lutter contre le profilage racial, a-t-il déclaré en conférence de presse mercredi.”
It’s not so symbolic when you’re the one being stopped/harassed by the police for no legitimate reason. But at least Chief Dagher will get rid of the swimming exam for recruits…