The Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (, "Montreal Police Service", abbr. SPVM) is the
municipal police
Municipal police, city police, or local police are law enforcement agencies that are under the control of local government. This includes the municipal government, where it is the smallest administrative subdivision. They receive fundi ...
agency for the city of
Montreal
Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
,
Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
, Canada, and the neighbouring communities in the
urban agglomeration of Montreal
The urban agglomeration of Montreal (, ) is an Urban agglomerations of Quebec, urban agglomeration in Quebec, Canada. Coextensive with the List of regions of Quebec, administrative region of Montreal, it is a territory equivalent to a regional c ...
. With over 4,500 officers and more than 1,300 civilian staff, it is the second-largest municipal police agency in Canada after the
Toronto Police Service
The Toronto Police Service (TPS) is a municipal police force in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and the primary agency responsible for providing law enforcement and policing services in Toronto. Established in 1834, it was the first local police se ...
.
History
The Montreal Police Service was created on March 15, 1843. At that time, there were 51 police officers in Montreal. The first officers did not wear uniforms. In order to be recognizable as police officers by civilians, the first uniforms were created in 1848. In 1853, they won the right to carry firearms in the performance of their duties.
In the early twentieth century, the Montreal Police Service counted 467 constables, inspectors and managers. The force was subdivided, as squads of morality and local departments were created.
The size of the police force remained roughly the same from the beginning of the century until 1930, when it hired more staff in the context of the
Wall Street Crash of 1929. During the
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
, tens of thousands of workers lost their jobs and there was an increase in crime. In the late 1930s, the Montreal Police Service had about 1,500 employees.
Following the progress of scientific analysis, a mobile laboratory was created in 1957. It evolved and changed in the 1980s to become the technical section. One of the most famous operations of the Montreal police service was the undercover assignment of
Robert Ménard
Robert Ménard (; born 6 July 1953) is a French politician and former journalist who has served as Mayor of Béziers since 2014.
He co-founded the Paris-based international NGO Reporters Without Borders, which he led as its general-secretary ...
between 1970-1976 who bugged the Reggio Bar owned by
Paolo Violi, the underboss of the Cotroni family. The information collected by Ménard revealed much about Mafia operations in Canada, the United States and Italy.
The Museum of the Montreal Police () was established in 1992 to preserve the history of the Montreal Police Service.
Leadership

The following is a list of Chiefs and Directors of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal.
Organization

The SPVM is led by Fady Dagher, Director (
chief of police
A chief of police (COP) is the title given to an appointed official or an elected one in the command hierarchy, chain of command of a police department, particularly in North America. A chief of police may also be known as a police chief or somet ...
), who took over in January 2023 from Sophie Roy, who was in an interim position after Sylvain Caron retired.
The rank structure and strength of the SPVM as of 2019 was:
* Director (1)
* Assistant Director (6)
*
Chief Inspector (15)
*
Inspector
Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it.
Australia
The rank of Inspector is present in all Australian police forces excep ...
(25)
*
Commandant
Commandant ( or ; ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ...
(68)
*
Lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
(47) and Detective Lieutenant (76)
*
Sergeant
Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...
(365) and Detective Sergeant (641)
*
Constable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. ''Constable'' is commonly the rank of an officer within a police service. Other peo ...
(3,318)
Some of the police functions carried out by the service include:
* Patrol police officers
* Intervention officers (GI, Riot police) (now called SSIS Section Support et Intervention Spécialisé)
* Tactical response officers (SWAT/GTI)
* Motorcycle officers
* Community relations officers
* Physical surveillance officers (shadowing)
* Section chiefs
* Investigators
* K-9 unit officers
* Mounted patrol officers
* Marine patrol officers
* Patrol supervisors
* Parking enforcement officers
The SPVM also has over 1,000 civilian employees, and around 200 police cadets.
Ranks
;Executive Officers
* Director (''Directeur''): three gold fleur-de-lis under crest over a crossed gold sword and baton; similar to the insignia of a lieutenant-general in the Canadian Army
* Associate Director (''Directeur-Adjoint''): two gold fleur-de-lis under crest over a crossed gold sword and baton; similar to the insignia of a major-general in the Canadian Army
;Staff Officers
*
Chief Inspector (''Inspecteur-chef''): four gold stripes; former insignia of a colonel in the Canadian Army
*
Inspector
Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it.
Australia
The rank of Inspector is present in all Australian police forces excep ...
(''Inspecteur''): three gold stripes; former insignia of a lieutenant-colonel in the Canadian Army
*
Commander
Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...
(''Commandant''): two and a half gold stripes; former insignia of a major in the Canadian Army
;Superior Officers
*
Lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
(''Lieutenant''): one and a half gold stripes; former insignia of a lieutenant in the Canadian Army
;Officers
*
Sergeant
Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...
: half gold stripe
;Constables
* Senior Constable (''Agent Sénior'')
*
Constable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. ''Constable'' is commonly the rank of an officer within a police service. Other peo ...
(''Agent'')
Source:
Operations
The SPVM covers an area of about 496 square kilometres and 1,958,000 residents of the island of Montreal.
There are 33 police stations that operate within four geographical regions: East, West, North and South.
Other units of the SPVM include:
* K-9 section
* Mounted unit
* Nautical patrol
* Crisis management
* Strategic planning
*
Emergency Response Team (
SWAT/GTI)
*
Forensics
Forensic science combines principles of law and science to investigate criminal activity. Through crime scene investigations and laboratory analysis, forensic scientists are able to link suspects to evidence. An example is determining the time and ...
* Airport Unit at
Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport
*
Montréal Metro Unit
Fleet

*
Chevrolet Impala 9C1
*
Dodge Charger Enforcer
*
Ford Police Interceptor Sedan
The sixth generation of the Ford Taurus is a full-size sedan manufactured and marketed by Ford for model years 2010-2019 with a mild facelift for model year 2013. While sharing the chassis underpinnings of the previous generation Taurus and ...
*
Ford Police Interceptor Utility
The Ford Explorer is a range of Sport utility vehicle, SUVs manufactured by Ford Motor Company since the 1991 model year. The first five-door SUV produced by Ford, the Explorer, was introduced as a replacement for the three-door Ford Bronco II ...
*
Mitsubishi i-MiEV
*
BMW R1200RT
*
Harley-Davidson Electra-Glide
*
Ford E-450
*
Ford F-150
*
Ford F-450 Super Duty
*
Ford Escape
The Ford Escape is a compact crossover SUV manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company since the 2001 model year. The first Ford SUV derived from a car platform, the Escape fell below the Ford Explorer#Second generation (UN105/150; 1995), F ...
*
Ford Transit
The Ford Transit is a family of light commercial vehicles manufactured by the Ford Motor Company since 1965, primarily as a panel van, cargo van, but also available in other configurations including a large passenger van (marketed as the Ford ...
*
Dodge Grand Caravan
*
RAM 2500 Heavy Duty
*
RAM 3500 Heavy Duty
*
RAM Promaster
*
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is a light commercial vehicle (van) built by Mercedes-Benz Group AG of Stuttgart, Germany as a large van, chassis cab, minibus, and pickup truck. In the past, the Sprinter had been sold under the Mercedes-Benz, Dodge, ...
*
Grumman Kurbmaster
*
Freightliner M2-106
*
Thunder-1 (armoured vehicle)
*
Winnebago Adventurer
Equipment
The standard sidearm of the Montreal Police is the
Glock 19
Glock (; stylized as GLOCK) is a brand of polymer-Receiver (firearms), framed, Recoil operation#Short recoil operation, short-recoil-operated, striker-fired, locked-breech semi-automatic pistols designed and produced by Austrian manufacturer G ...
. and
Diemaco C8 assault rifle are also stocked by the SPVM and its
Emergency Response Team armory, but these
long guns are rarely used.
Prior to the Glock 19 officers carried the
Walther P99
The Walther P99 () is a semi-automatic pistol developed by the German company Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen of Ulm for law enforcement, security forces and the civilian shooting market.
History
Design work on this new generation sidearm began ...
9mm as the sidearm which replaced the
.357 Magnum revolvers in the early 2000s.
Criticism
In 1986, Anthony Griffin, who was 19 and unarmed, was killed by SPVM police officer Allan Gosset.
His death sparked protests.
In 1988, José Carlos Garcia, 43, was killed by an SPVM officer leading to a
Sûreté du Québec
The (SQ; , ) is the State police, provincial police service for the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. There is no official English name, though the agency's name is sometimes translated as Quebec Provincial Police ...
investigation and a coroner's inquest.
In 1990, Presley Leslie, 26, was killed at Thunderdome dance club by SPVM police leading to an inquiry.
That same year, Jorge Chavarria-Reyes was shot by a plainclothes officer leading to a
Sûreté du Québec
The (SQ; , ) is the State police, provincial police service for the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. There is no official English name, though the agency's name is sometimes translated as Quebec Provincial Police ...
investigation and a coroner's inquest.
In 1991, Fritzgerald Forbes died due to a heart attack following his arrest.
Also in 1991, in a case of mistaken identity, 24-year-old Marcellus Francois was killed by Montreal police.
A
Sûreté du Québec
The (SQ; , ) is the State police, provincial police service for the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. There is no official English name, though the agency's name is sometimes translated as Quebec Provincial Police ...
investigation was held and two officers suspended on a short-term basis for misconduct.
A lawsuit was launched by the family against the city of Montreal which was settled for $218,269.
In 1993, Trevor Kelley was shot by Montreal police leading to a
Sûreté du Québec
The (SQ; , ) is the State police, provincial police service for the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. There is no official English name, though the agency's name is sometimes translated as Quebec Provincial Police ...
investigation.
In 1995, Martin Omar Suazo was shot by a Montreal police officer leading to a police ethics commission investigation which found the police officer responsible for improper use of a firearm and led to his short-term suspension.
In 2001, 19-year-old Michael Kibbe fell to his death at a Montreal police station while trying to escape arrest.
His parents called for a public inquiry and the case was eventually investigated by the
Comité de déontologie policière.
In 2004, Rohan Wilson died while in police custody leading to a coroner's inquest.
In 2005, Mohamed Anas Bennis was shot twice by Montreal police officers leading to the formation of the Justice for Anas Coalition.
On 3 November 2005, the United Nations Human Rights Committee advised the Canadian government to allow an enquiry on the SPVM about its mass arrests tactic during political demonstrations.
The tactic is a rapid encirclement of as many protesters as possible regardless of how they may have conducted themselves during the demonstration, and is argued to be a violation of their fundamental rights.
According to
Francis Dupuis-Déri
Francis Dupuis-Déri (born 1966, in Montreal) is a French Canadian researcher and professor at the Université du Québec à Montréal. He is best known for his political commentary on anti-feminism and anarchism, for his books ''L’Erreur huma ...
, a political science professor at
Université du Québec à Montréal
The (UQAM; ), is a French language, French-language public university, public research university based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the largest constituent element of the system.
UQAM was founded on April 9, 1969, by the government o ...
, police officers employ this tactic because of a "deviance" radical political demonstrators pose to media, politicians and police officers themselves.
In 2007, Quilem Registre died in a hospital four days afted being tasered several times by SPVM officers.
Following his death, a coroner's report called for better training of police officers and critiqued their use of the taser.
In 2008,
Fredy Villanueva was shot by SPVM Officer Jean-Loup Lapointe leading to multiple protests and increased public discourse about racial profiling.
The SPVM was criticized in the aftermath of the August 10, 2008 riots, which started due to the shooting death of 18-year-old Villanueva by an officer who alleged that the immigrant was attacking him and his partner while they were arresting immigrant's older brother. He argued that he was trying to save his partner and himself by firing his
Walther P99
The Walther P99 () is a semi-automatic pistol developed by the German company Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen of Ulm for law enforcement, security forces and the civilian shooting market.
History
Design work on this new generation sidearm began ...
service gun on the 18-year-old.
In 2011, Mario Hamel, a homeless man, was shot by Montreal police officers leading to criticism of SPVM training.
In 2012, Farshad Mohammadi, was shot by SPVM officers resulting in a coroner's report calling for increased training for officers regarding their treatment of those with mental illness as well as criticism of the police's social profiling of homeless individuals.
In 2012, the SPVM also came under criticism regarding their handling of the
2012 Quebec student protests.
A former Montreal police officer, Stéfanie Trudeau, also known popularly and in the media as Officer 728, was given a 12-month suspended sentence and ordered to do 60 hours of community service for assaulting a man in October 2012. The officer was found guilty of assault in February 2016 for using excessive force.
In 2014, Alain Magloire, a mentally ill and homeless individual, was killed during a police intervention leading to a Coroner's inquest.
In 2016, 46-year-old Bony Jean-Pierre, died following a police intervention in Montreal North leading to calls for change and a demonstration.
In June 2016, the Quebec Minister of Public Security introduced an independent agency, the "Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI)", to be responsible for investigating "shootings, serious injuries and deaths stemming from police interventions". The selection of investigators was criticized for being composed of former members law enforcement. Eleven out of the eighteen members are former police officers,
in addition to being "nearly 100 percent white and composed almost entirely of men".
The structure of the agency itself was criticized for lacking independent powers, since the BEI "acts only at the request of the Minister of Public Security".
In 2017, 58-year-old Pierre Coriolan died after being shot, tasered, and hit by police officers.
A coroner's inquest found that police lacked sufficient de-escalation training.
In 2018, 23-year-old Nicholas Gibbs was shot by a Montreal police officer resulting in protests.
In 2019, a report commissioned by the city found that the SPVM are four to five times more likely to stop a racialized person than a white person.
In June 2020, the
Defund the Police Coalition was formed in the aftermath of the police killings of
George Floyd
George Perry Floyd Jr. (October 14, 1973 – May 25, 2020) was an African-American man who was murdered by a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during an arrest made after a store clerk suspected Floyd had used a counterfeit tw ...
,
Breonna Taylor
Breonna Taylor (June 5, 1993 – March 13, 2020) was an African-American woman who Killing of Breonna Taylor, was shot and killed while unarmed in her Louisville, Kentucky home by three police officers who entered under the auspices of a No-kn ...
,
Chantal Moore, and
Regis Korchinski-Paquet.
The Coalition consists of over 80 groups.
One of the Coalition's demands is to reduce the SPVM budget by at least 50%.
In January 2021, the SPVM evoked controversy when they mistakenly arrested a
Polytechnique Montréal
(; previously ) is a Public university, public research university affiliated with the in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The school offers Graduate School, graduate and postgraduate training, and is very active in research. Following tradition, ne ...
professor in the
Park Extension
Park Extension (, ) is a neighbourhood in the city of Montréal, Québec. It is located in the borough of Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension and has a population of 33,800 and an area of 1.6 km2 (400 acres). The name derives from the fa ...
neighbourhood. The man spent six days in prison, before being cleared on charges of disarming and assaulting a police officer, while the actual suspect remains at large. This led to renewed calls for universal
police body cameras.
[ Article updated 3 February 2021]
See also
*
Integrated Security Unit
An Integrated Safety and Security Group (ISSG) (), formerly known as an Integrated Security Unit (ISU), is a unified and coordinated task force comprising multiple law enforcement agencies in Canada. It is responsible for coordinating the safety ...
*
Police officer
A police officer (also called policeman or policewoman, cop, officer or constable) is a Warrant (law), warranted law employee of a police, police force. In most countries, ''police officer'' is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. ...
*
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...
*
Service de sécurité incendie de Montréal
*
Sûreté du Québec
The (SQ; , ) is the State police, provincial police service for the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. There is no official English name, though the agency's name is sometimes translated as Quebec Provincial Police ...
*
Urgences-Santé
Books
*
References
External links
Official websiteFraternité des policiers et policières de Montréal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Service de police de la Ville de Montreal