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Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada has publicly backed Police Chief Fady Dagher as he prepares to address a growing number of misconduct allegations against officers in the city’s police service.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Martinez Ferrada said she trusts Dagher to reform the culture within the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal. She acknowledged that changing an institution takes time. “It takes time to change a culture, and we see that resistance right now,” she said.
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The mayor also called on officers to speak up. “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,” she added.
New Evidence Concealment Allegation Emerges
The latest misconduct allegation surfaced this week. Montreal police confirmed that an officer could face charges after allegedly concealing evidence in a 2025 domestic violence investigation.
Radio-Canada reported on Thursday that the officer, who responded to a call connected to the case, allegedly erased evidence provided by the victim. The report also suggested the officer knew the alleged perpetrator personally. The officer served in Montreal-Nord, a multicultural neighbourhood that has already been at the centre of a separate misconduct scandal.
Multiple Officers Face Suspension Over Separate Incidents
Earlier this year, four officers from the Montreal-Nord station faced suspension over allegations of racist misconduct. Dagher’s Friday news conference was expected to include an update on that ongoing investigation.
In addition, two officers from a downtown Montreal station also face suspension. One officer allegedly urinated on homeless people. The other allegedly posed for photographs that mocked suspects under arrest in humiliating positions.
Together, these incidents have placed significant pressure on Dagher and the broader police service to demonstrate accountability.
Mayor Calls for Public Trust
Martinez Ferrada stressed that city leadership is committed to transparency. “Every event that happens has to be explained,” she said. “We need to give the trust to citizens that we are on top of it and we’re changing the culture.”
The mayor’s comments reflect growing public concern about conduct within Montreal’s police force. Meanwhile, Dagher’s news conference was set to address each of the active misconduct cases directly. The police chief has previously spoken about the need to rebuild trust between officers and the communities they serve, particularly in Montreal’s most diverse neighbourhoods.
As the investigations continue, city officials face mounting expectations to deliver meaningful reform within one of Canada’s largest urban police services.
