Veteran Montreal police officer says racism a 'cancer eating away' at the SPVM in resignation letter

Cmdr. Patrice Vilcéus is resigning from the Montreal police service after serving more than 30 years on the force. (Source: ville.montreal.qc.ca)

A veteran Montreal police officer says racism is a "cancer eating away at the organization" in a stinging resignation letter. 

Patrice Vilcéus, a Quebecer of Haitian origin, served on the Montreal police service (SPVM) for more than 30 years and worked his way up to commander of the anti-gang squad. 

"Throughout my career, I've made sure that I'm not just an observer of racism, racial profiling and social challenges. My aim has been to break down taboos and introduce more nuanced approaches, so as to take all aspects into account and help the organization grow," he wrote in a four-page letter obtained by CTV News. 

"The scientific research commissioned by the SPVM is a flagrant example of the cancer eating away at the organization, and the judgment of the Superior Court presided over by the Honourable Justice Dominique Poulin is the apotheosis."

His letter made reference to the recent Quebec Superior Court ruling declaring that there's a systemic form of racial profiling within the SPVM. The landmark decision also awarded $5,000 in punitive damages to anyone stopped on the streets based on their ethnic origin.

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Vilcéus added: "The SPVM must distance itself from one-track thinking and give greater importance to divergent thinking, which generates creativity and multiple options. In other words, it is crucial to overcome the resistance of certain managers who defend the status quo."

In his resignation letter, he said organizations are stronger if they embrace differences and welcome diversity. 

"A strong organization does not seek to silence certain members, but protects everyone from the risk of being ostracized," he wrote. 

He ended the letter with words of gratitude for his peers, including police chief Fady Dagher and his adviser, Cyrille Sardais. "I hope that, with your vision, you can bring about positive change. To all of you, I salute your invaluable collaboration and once again, THANK YOU," the document reads. 

The SPVM did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CTV News Tuesday evening. 

It's not the first time the high-ranking officer has openly criticized the Montreal police service. In June 2020, just weeks after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the Black Lives Matter protests that followed, he sent an internal memo to more than 100 senior SPVM members acknowledging that racism and racial profiling exist in the police force.

"Our organization must intensify its fight against racism that still exists within our walls and during some of our interventions," the memo stated.

The memo also came after a report released months earlier that found Black and Indigenous people were four times more likely to be the subject of street checks than white people in Montreal. People of Arab origin were also twice as likely to be stopped. 

Vilcéus is a native of Gonaïves, Haiti and came to Quebec at the age of four, according to a profile on the City of Montreal website. He was hired by Montreal police in 1994 and, during his more than 30-year tenure with the force, worked in various roles, including as an undercover officer and detective sergeant where he oversaw major investigations related to organized crime. He also served as commander of the anti-gang squad, Éclipse, for two years. 

The profile noted that he promoted the recruitment of police officers from visible minority populations and spearheaded the police force's first celebration of Black History Month in 2004.

In the days after the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Vilcéus returned to his home country to participate in Operation Kout Men and assisted local police. 

In 2017, he was suspended after his car was broken into two years earlier while he attended a work Christmas party. The thief stole a bag that contained a USB key that had contact information for police informants linked to the Hells Angels.