Warrants to place journalists under surveillance were not difficult to obtain, several high-level Montreal police officials told the Chamberland Commission on Tuesday.
SPVM chief Philippe Pichet told the commission that most warrant requests were granted while his second-in-command, Didier Deramond, said they were only sought out when there was no other way to gather evidence in cases where there was a reasonable suspicion of a crime.
The commission was created in response to revelations that police obtained information from the phones of several Montreal journalists while investigating leaks to the media last year.
Pichet said he learned of the surveillance on Jan. 12, 2016, and agreed because he felt it was within the framework of the law.
Deramond said that until recently, warrants for such measures didn’t require authorization from a superior officer.
Both Deramond and the SPVM’s head of internal affairs Stephen Verissimo said they were not aware of any officers going to specific justices of the peace who were known to be sympathetic to police in order to obtain the warrants.
Pichet and Deramond will continue testifying on Wednesday, as will SQ chief Martin Prud'homme.
