Report by interim chief says outsider should head ‘fragile’ Montreal police force
MONTREAL — The interim chief brought in to clean up problems in the Montreal police force says the internal climate remains fragile and the next chief should come from outside the department.
The recommendation is among 14 made Tuesday by Martin Prud’homme, the provincial police chief who took charge of the Montreal force following the suspension of Philippe Pichet last December.
Pichet, who was named in August 2015 by then-mayor Denis Coderre, was suspended with pay after an independent report found irregularities in the Montreal police force’s internal investigations.
In a preliminary report in June, Prud’homme described a city police force with low morale and warring internal factions, saying officers were afraid to speak out.