The SPVM has launched an investigation into an incident, captured on video and circulating on social media today, appearing to show abuse by two Montreal police officers. The video shows a patrol officer shoving a Black man into a cement block. CBC is reporting that the incident occurred in Chinatown, between St-Urbain and Clark, around noon on Thursday.  Read More

In the face of repeated criticism against local and regional police forces, Quebec’s Police Chiefs' Association is taking on a new strategy in public outreach aimed at improving its image. “I think there’s a lack of love by the population towards the police officers,” said the association’s director Didier Deramond. As part of that campaign, the association has released the first of a series of videos depicting professional police work.  Read More

Montrealers to have a say in hiring next police chief “On the surface, I think this is a really good thing,” said Concordia professor Ted Rutland on Montreal holding public consultations ahead of hiring a new police chief. Brittany Henriques reports.  Read More

Listen to the Red Coalition's founder, Joel DeBellefeuille on CJAD 800 discuss the RC Watchdog program with Newstalk Radio's Aaron Rand and Natasha Hall.  Read More

By Dan Spector Global News Posted April 11, 2022 5:59 pm Updated April 11, 2022 8:17 pm A new initiative is encouraging people in Montreal and Ottawa to film police interventions. “Basically, we’re the neighbourhood watch for the police,” said Joel Debellefeuille, founder of the Red Coalition, a group that fights racism and discrimination. He’s encouraging people to take their phones out and hit record when police show up, and send the videos to the new Red Coalition Watchdog Program. The goal, Debellefeuille said, is to compile images of officers breaching peoples’ rights and to add them to a database.  Read More

By Phil Carpenter Global News Posted April 6, 2022 6:44 pm Updated April 7, 2022 11:40 am Questions are once again being raised about how much is being spent on policing in the city of Montreal. A study released Wednesday by L’Institut de recherche et d’informations socioéconomiques (IRIS) and the L’observatoire des inégalités raciales au Québec (OIRQ) claims that the rate of increase in funding for the Montreal police department is far higher than for other sectors. “There’s a mismatch right now between where we put the money and where the needs are,” IRIS researcher Guillaume Hébert told Global News. “In most of the cities of North America, actually.”  Read More