Projet Montreal is once again going after a practice where police commanders receive bonuses.
Implemented at the end of 2015, police commanders can earn bonuses of between $9,000 and $12,000 per year depending on several factors including how quickly police officers respond to emergencies, making arrests, and how many traffic tickets are issued by their subordinates.
Projet Montreal Mayoral Candidate Valerie Plante said the bonuses, dubbed ‘Bonis Denis’ after the city’s mayor, go up if police officers exceed their ticket quotas. She added that she had documents showing the police department handed out $350,000 in bonuses in 2016.
“We believe that police officers should give tickets when it makes sense, not when there's money attached to that,” said Plante, adding that if she is elected mayor, she will eliminate giving bonuses to police commanders.
Earlier this year the city said they give out bonuses to police commanders occasionally, but they are not related to tickets, instead to broader management skills.
Mayor Denis Coderre denied any bonuses are given out for exceeding quotas, despite past complaints from the police brotherhood that they are.
“If you take a look at it, there no such thing as quotas, so I don't know what they're talking about,” he said.
He also disputed the $350,000 figure cited by Plante.
Coderre said officers have a job, and part of that job is stopping speeders and drivers who run red lights, but there are no quotas or bonuses.
“There is level of efficiency, and there's tons of criteria about how to fulfil your job and that's it,” he said.
“I think he's in denial, or maybe he doesn't know what his administration is doing,” countered Plante.
