Claims of police misconduct are common in Canada and there appears to be no end in sight. This isn’t a recent development, but one that’s becoming more publicized because there’s now greater scrutiny of state institutions.

Recent allegations of racist conduct among 16 Montréal police officers, including instances where dreadlocks were taken from Black men and kept as “trophies,” illustrate the pervasive nature of systemic racism in policing.

Police collecting and displaying trophies is nothing new and parallels the violence of lynch mob vigilantism.

In Montréal, concerns about discriminatory policing have even been documented in interactions involving family members of the city’s mayor.

While these instances of police misconduct aren’t surprising to those who experience the everyday violence of policing, the latest allegations draw attention to the broader issue of whether the promise of police reform will ever be realized.

In the wake of the Montréal scandal, there are calls for an independent investigation, the public release of police oversight reports and to speed up the use of body cameras.

But these largely reactive measures fail to substantively address the root causes of police racism. Questions about the effectiveness of police reform measures have been raised by a chorus of voices, including retired police officers.

The Montréal allegations should be considered the tip of the iceberg since police misconduct is a nationwide issue:

Community leaders called for greater transparency after it was revealed that a Hamilton Police Service officer who shared racist and extremist social media posts was still employed by the police service.

Community leaders called for greater transparency after it was revealed that a Hamilton Police Service officer who shared racist and extremist social media posts was still employed by the police service.

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