You can't fire your way out of a systemic rot. When Montreal police Chief Fady Dagher stripped seven officers of their badges and guns in a sweeping administrative sweep, headlines hailed it as a historic reckoning. Five from Station 39 in Montreal North. Two from Station 21 downtown. Allegations ranged from outright racism and discrimination to chilling abuse of power, including officers allegedly collecting hair from racialized citizens as trophies and despicable mistreatment of unhoused people.
It makes for great theater. But let's be honest about what's actually happening on the streets. Learn more on a connected topic: this related article.
The Smoke and Mirrors of PR Crisis Management
Chief Dagher loves the microphone. He has built his entire brand on proximity, community policing, and brutal transparency. Yet, community advocates see right through the performance. Daniele-Jocelyne Otou of the Black Healing Centre nailed the core contradiction when she pointed out that high-profile public relations campaigns are not the same thing as genuine accountability.
Take a close look at how these announcements drop. The SPVM has a curious habit of calling emergency press conferences late on Friday afternoons. That is not an accident. It is a calculated media strategy designed to choke off independent journalism, minimize expert scrutiny, and control the narrative before anyone can ask difficult questions. Further analysis by Al Jazeera highlights similar views on the subject.
When you rush out a press conference an hour before the weekend hits, you aren't inviting a serious conversation. You are managing damage control.
Where the Real Breakdown Happens
Firing seven bad actors sounds decisive. But the Montreal Police Brotherhood, led by Yves Francoeur, is already gearing up to challenge every single dismissal through labour arbitration. They claim the administrative process used to strip these officers of accreditation bypasses traditional labour rights. If these officers skate back into their jobs on technicalities or wind up reassigned to desk duty, public trust won't just remain broken. It will shatter completely.
Worse yet, pointing the finger solely at rogue cops ignores the middle management that sheltered them. Alain Babineau, a retired RCMP staff sergeant and legal expert, pointed out the obvious flaw: where are the consequences for the sergeants, lieutenants, and inspectors who oversaw these tainted patrol teams? A police force doesn't accidentally foster an environment where officers feel comfortable mocking suspects or taking humiliating photographs. That culture grows because leadership looks the other way until a scandal breaks.
Shifting the Burden to City Hall
We also need to talk about Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada and municipal leadership. Montreal politicians love to praise the police chief when he plays the reformer, but they dodge questions about their own failure to oversee the force. Urban policy researchers like Concordia University professor Ted Rutland argue that pinning all the pressure on Dagher lets City Hall off the hook.
Municipal governments have relied on police departments for decades to handle social crises they refuse to fund properly. If you chronically underfund social safety nets, mental health response teams, and housing initiatives, you shouldn't be surprised when armed patrol officers crack under the strain of managing systemic poverty and homelessness.
Trust isn't rebuilt with a single dramatic press conference or a handful of pink slips. It requires independent civilian oversight, total transparency on disciplinary records, and a willingness to dismantle institutional habits that protect the badge over the public. Until Montreal leaders stop treating accountability as a public relations exercise, these historic firings will just be tomorrow's forgotten headline.
