Former high-ranking officer files suit against Repentigny police, alleging harrassment

A lawsuit brought by a former high-ranking Repentigny police officer alleges a toxic work environment at the force, as well as racial profiling during hiring.

Daniel Archibald, a high-ranking officer currently on leave, filed the $1.8 million suit after being allegedly psychologically harassed by colleagues in an effort to get him to leave his job.

He also alleges the force compelled job applicants to provide their drivers’ licenses, allowing them to determine their ethnicity. He says those who did not fit their criteria were not hired.

The Red Coalition, an advocacy group concerned with racial profiling, says Quebec should step in and place Repentigny police under supervision while conducting an independent investigation.

“One of the main concerns, from the community standpoint, was the fact that if police officers, according to the allegations, are involved in making threats to one of their colleagues,” said Alain Babineau, a Coalition spokesperson.

Repentigny Mayor Nicolas Dufour has responded to the lawsuit, and called the hiring allegations false, adding that the force had hired more than 20 officers who identify as visible minorities since 2017.