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A former officer of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) has been reprimanded by the police ethics committee for abusing his authority by investigating a 2014 criminal complaint against former mayor Denis Coderre. A former colleague who helped him was also slapped on the knees in his search.
The charges against the two former officers date back to 2014, when the city of Montreal launched legal proceedings against its police officers’ union, the Brotherhood of Montreal Police Officers, following a significant drop in the number of crime reports issued in its territory.
While taking a break in the cafeteria of the police station where he works, Denis Cotte, an officer assigned to road safety, hears on television, “The story of a ticket in Laval involving Denis Cottere,” when he was mayor of Montreal.
However, Denis Code already crossed paths with Denis Codere three years ago, as we can read in the decision of the Police Ethics Commission dated April 19.
Even though he was not the mayor, when Denis Coderre was arrested for not paying the registration fee for his vehicle, the agent had asked Code not to give him a ticket.
Three years later, challenged by the televised story, Constable Code told colleagues who taunted him that “unlike him,” another Montreal police officer did not hesitate to fine the mayor of Montreal, who had yet to pay. to his plates.
Patience and impulsiveness
Enraged, Denis Cote began an investigation himself to discover this last observation, and convinced his colleague at the time, Emmanuel Dubuis, to give it to him “without going through the usual means.”
However, Denis Code thus violated Code of Police Ethics It provides that police officers must “conduct themselves in such a manner as to maintain confidence and attention”. [leur] function “.
“Denis Coderre’s personal information was shared with the fraternity, the information was disclosed to the media, an investigation by the Municipal Integrity Protection Unit was initiated, as well as an internal investigation,” the police ethics committee’s decision describes.
By acting in this way, agent Denis Cote actually “wanted to prove his instincts were right, rather than respect the rules”, ruling the group. “What he is accused of is his recklessness, his impulsiveness and the behavior that a police officer would expect in all circumstances. You have to know how to dose”, may we read the decision in his place.
Since Denis Côté and Emmanuel have now retired from the SPVM, they cannot be subject to sanctions. Nevertheless, they were declared disqualified from the functions of a peace officer, for ten months in the first case and four months in the second, as his intervention was considered “relatively limited.”
The committee considered that he was awarded the Medal of Valor in 2008 for his exceptional bravery in Constable Code’s case, when he neutralized a teacher who had opened fire and risked his life to save and protect others at Dawson College.
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