A Montreal-area police officer has been suspended for five days without pay after turning away a woman with her young daughter in her hand when she went to a police station to file a domestic abuse report.
The woman went to file a police report in 2019 with her 15-month-old son in order to seek a bond of peace after her boyfriend had been violent with her. When she arrived at the police station, the Longueuil police officer at the front desk refused to meet with her privately, saying that she had filed a similar complaint about him in the past.
He noted that the complaint had been dismissed and that this time he “missed his chance,” according to a recent police ethics decision. Instead of meeting with her, officer Alain Tassé said that if he has a problem with her partner, he could call 911.
Contacted by phone Thursday, the woman who filed the complaint described the officer’s punishment as a joke.
“It’s vacation,” he said in an interview with CTV News. “For me, five days is not enough.”
The woman, whom the CTV does not identify to protect her and her daughter, was about to return to her ex’s house until her friend who was with her at the police station convinced her to try to file a complaint at another police station.
She did, and this time the second officer took her complaint more seriously. That same night her ex was arrested. Court records show he was sentenced to one year of probation after pleading guilty to criminal assault and harassment.
CTV reached out to Longueuil police for comment on the suspension, but the force did not respond before publication time.
‘REALLY?’
The woman said she was surprised at how she was initially treated given the seriousness of her complaint.
“I was a little bit shocked. I was in denial,” she said Thursday.
“I was like, ‘Are you serious? Aren’t you going to handle this?’ I mean, my safety and my son’s safety is at stake, especially given the abuse she and I have already endured.”
She said her ex hit her many times during their two-year relationship, yelled at her, called her names, and abused drugs and alcohol. “I was controlling. It was pretty intense.”
Police of Longueuil
The police ethics committee ruled this week that Tassé violated the code of ethics for police officers in Quebec because he does not “preserve the necessary trust and consideration” in the performance of his duties. He was sentenced on Monday.
Tassé did not have a prior ethics decision on her file, and the committee emphasized that he showed “no bad intentions” or “bad faith” when he refused to meet with her in private.
However, by not taking the complaint seriously, the committee wrote that the officer sent a “harmful” message to victims of domestic abuse, noting that their response “has caused victims to lose faith in a system that is supposed to It’s there to protect.” to them.”
The committee’s decision stressed that “it is not always easy for victims of domestic violence to seek help from the police. Therefore, when they have the courage to sound the alarm, the person receiving them must receive them with respect, listen to them and understand them.” their needs and support them,” the decision read.
“Domestic violence is a very topical scourge and society is very aware of it through what it hears in the media, and the police are no exception. The police forces have, for the most part, very restrictive directives regarding acts that involve this type of violence.”
If not for her friend accompanying her, the woman could have returned to the abusive home, according to the committee.
CASE POINT TO LACK OF POLICE TRAINING: LAWYER
A Montreal advocate for women fleeing violence said the woman should have been heard in the first place as, historically, the moment a woman decides to leave is when she is in her most vulnerable situation yet.
Melpa Kamateros, co-founder and executive director of Shield of Athena Family Services, said reporting to the police should serve as a “dangerous red flag” for police.
“We all know that the highest rate of violence, the most serious incidents of violence, including murders, very often occur after the breaking point when the victim decides to leave,” Kamateros said. “So that was a dangerous signal that no one had picked up on.”
Melpa Kamateros, co-founder and CEO of Shield of Athena Family Services, said police officers should be better trained to listen to reports of domestic abuse. (Joe Lofaro/CTV News)
The initial police interaction points to a possible lack of training for frontline officers, he said. Those early interactions are crucial to maintaining trust in the justice system: the focus of a 2020 report by a committee of more than 20 experts on sexual assault and domestic violence.
The committee made 190 recommendations in its report, Refute the confidencewhose aim is to ensure that victims receive good support from the moment they file a complaint.
“Many of them [recommendations] relate to exactly what has been said in this decision,” Kamateros said.
The woman who filed the complaint in 2019 said Thursday that she hopes her experience won’t deter other women from coming forward to police.
“The moment you feel insecure, have doubts… go get help,” he said.
“There are organizations, the police, that can protect us, serve us.
There are many women, there are many femicides, many things like that. But there are stories like mine that end up moving forward, so don’t give up.”