Ottawa Police Chief Eric Stubbs has told members of the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) that they have a choice when it comes to sexual misconduct within the force: “Change your behaviour or quit.”
Stubbs addressed what he called a “pattern of behaviour” within the service in an internal video message in May.
In the seven-minute video, obtained by CTV News Ottawa, Stubbs says there have been several examples of inappropriate actions from members.
“Members are using our databases as their own way to meet women. Seeing a woman at a coffee shop, coming out of a gym, driving next to them, getting their license plates, and running them on the system,” he said.
“We’ve seen members messaging vulnerable victims on calls that they’ve attended, in attempt to develop an intimate relationship. Internally, we’ve seen members making sexually themed comments directly to women in the service, in the workplace. This is happening way too often. We’ve seen sexual harassment, and we’ve seen sexual assault.”
In April, an Ottawa Police Service officer was charged with assault and criminal harassment in connection with an intimate partner violence investigation and a constable was demoted for 18 months after using the police and Ministry of Transportation databases dozens of times to search for information on his ex-partners and other members of the public.
In late May, the Ottawa Police Services Board held a special in-camera meeting with Stubbs and members of the senior executive to discuss “the seriousness of recent reports involving gender-based misconduct, sexual violence, intimate partner violence, and harm connected to members of the Ottawa Police Service.”
Women in the service calling for action
Quoting part of a letter from a group of women within the Ottawa Police Service, Stubbs said there was a long-standing and ongoing issue within the policing culture in which sexual misconduct was too often ignored, tolerated, or even celebrated.
“We believe there is a clear need for OPS leadership to acknowledge that this issue remains present and to speak openly about it. Silence or minimization only allows the behaviour to continue,” Stubbs said, quoting the letter.
He said members of the Ottawa Police Service must choose between being allies that support women and call out bad behaviour or leaving the force.
“Are you in the group that will defend and deny that there is even a problem? This is a problematic group, and of course, there’s the offenders, those that are participating in behaviour that simply has to stop, depending on where the spectrum of these individuals are,” he said.
“Two things need to happen, and there are only two things: change your behaviour now or quit. Leave. We don’t need you in the organization.”
In a statement to CTV News Ottawa, Stubbs said a majority of OPS members serve the community honourably every day, but the actions he addressed in the video undermine public trust and affect victims and other police members.
“Any conduct involving harassment, sexualized behaviour, misuse of police systems, or actions that undermine the dignity and safety of others is unacceptable. People who come forward must be treated with respect, care and professionalism, and must have confidence that their concerns will be taken seriously,” he said.
Ottawa police hiring more women
In the video, Stubbs said the Ottawa Police Service is working toward a goal of having 30 per cent of sworn members be women, and said other members should seriously reflect on whether their behaviour will prevent them from feeling safe and welcomed.
“You and I will be recruiting them, and that might include your daughters, your neighbours, your friends. You have to be able to look them in the eye with confidence and say you’ll be safe in the walls of the police buildings. You will be treated with respect. Can we say that right now?” he said.
Stubbs is expected to provide an update on how the service is addressing officer misconduct and related workplace and organizational issues at the Ottawa Police Service Board’s meeting on June 22. The update will include steps the service is taking to “strengthen prevention, reporting, accountability, member support, workplace culture and public trust.”
He admitted that even he had learning to do, saying in the video that he was among those who needed some education on the topic, and who didn’t quite understand the impact that some of this behaviour has on women.
“You’re a little blind or siloed to the whole topic. And if I’m being honest, I was part of this group for most of my career in the RCMP,” he said.
Stubbs closed by urging members to push back against arguments suggesting that there isn’t a problem and to be open to conversations and change.
“Don’t be dismayed by this message. In fact, be energized that we all want to get better. We all want to make sure the women in our organization, who are so incredibly valuable to us and to this community, feel safe in their workplace. This is the start of our conversation,” he said.
