New Montreal police street check policy praised by city, panned by advocacy groups

Montreal police unveiled a new street check policy Monday, and it's already being praised as progress by the city but criticized by anti-racism advocates for its lack of clear consequences for officers who violate it.

The policy applies to officers with the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) randomly stopping people on foot, commonly known as street checks.

Officers will need to clarify the reason for the interaction and inform the person they are free to leave at any time. Officers must then document each of these interactions.

Documented street check reports will then be reviewed by a committee to ensure there is no racial profiling.

Police Chief Fady Dagher says the updated policy will help build trust with the community. While it is just a start to addressing racial profiling within the SPVM, he says it is a step in the right direction.

A report published in 2019 found that Indigenous, Black, Asian and Arab people disproportionately experienced random police checks. A street check policy adopted in 2020 aimed to reduce officers' power to stop people at random.

A second report, published in 2023 by some of the same researchers, concluded there was no decrease in profiling after the SPVM created the 2020 policy.

It found that between 2014 and 2021, Indigenous people were six times more likely to be stopped by police than white people. Black people were 3.5 times more likely to be stopped and Arab people 2.6 times.

The SPVM says it has now taken the necessary steps to address concerns about racial profiling, and that is reflected in the updated policy.

It's expected to take effect this fall, but the SPVM says officers have already been instructed to start following it.

Alain Vaillancourt, who oversees public security on Montreal's executive committee, praised the move in a statement, calling it a positive step forward.

"It represents an important stage in the conversation our administration has initiated around profiling," the statement says.

"The new requirement for police officers to inform individuals that they are not obliged to comply and may leave at any time is a significant development."

He commends the work carried out by Dagher and his team, emphasizing that this is an ongoing effort and the policy may still be adjusted based on the effects observed by police, the public and partners.