Montreal’s new police chief Fady Dagher donned a patrolman’s uniform on Tuesday night and roamed the streets of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, where it all began for him in the police force more than 30 years ago. The Journal got to accompany him as he patrolled the same motels that consistently attract drug dealers and pimps, drove past a building he once broke into to buy drugs as a double agent, and even had to urgently respond to a possible phone call he might be trying to do Murder.
How did you get on patrol?
Photo by Valerie Gonthier
Late in the shift, Chief Dagher had to respond to a call that initially came in as attempted murder. The incident, which took place at an apartment on Sherbrooke Street West in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, was ultimately found to be less serious.
First it happened live on TV! [sur le plateau de Tout le monde en parle] Comedian Maude Landry told me that her brother is a police officer on Ward 9 and that he couldn’t come to the premiere of his show because he’s working. I said: “Oh! Rest assured I’ll be patrolling in his place! It wasn’t planned at all. And I do it because I like it.
How did the police react Tuesday night when they saw you?
Courtesy photo
During the chief’s appearance on Sunday’s show Everyone Speaks About It, comedian Maude Landry told the officer he could eat his lunch if he replaced his brother on the beat. The artist’s brother, Gabriel, provided his boss with a meal: a vegetable and tofu stir-fry.
When I returned to the station, people were surprised, many could not believe that I had come to patrol. But a lot of people noticed this: [il montre son épaule] I have no rank, I wear the blue shirt [de patrouilleur], I have a blue name tag like her instead of gold. Some people were moved to see that. “We can’t believe you’re dressed like us,” I was told.
Why is it important to you to go to the field?
Photo by Valerie Gonthier
Fady Dagher patrolled the streets of the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighborhood where he began his police career more than 30 years ago.
Also when I was in Longueuil [comme chef]I go there a few times a year. I hate patrolling back as a third person. I want to go forward with my partner. It allows me to discover it, to listen to it. I tell myself if this agent thinks like that, there must be others who think like him. It shapes my thoughts. Being there, listening allows you to know things. If I stay on the 9th floor [du quartier général]I will never know these things.
You always said you wanted to be close to your police force. Why ?
Photo by Valerie Gonthier
He filled in late in the shift for a call that came in as attempted murder.
I love grassroots people, meaning the local ones. Because that’s where it happens, they’re the ones who have the real pulse, they’re the ones who’re going to tell us exactly what’s going on. I prefer bottom-up strategies. My base is the most important thing. I want to be close to patrol officers and detectives who work day, night, and night, working overtime.
You speak openly about the difficulty of the police profession. Why ?
Because we are quickly judged for things that sometimes happen in a split second. We are constantly under pressure. Additionally, given the complexities of mental health in the post-pandemic era, people are increasingly less patient and more aggressive. And our police officers are constantly exposed to this clientele. It’s very complicated being a police officer. It is important that the leader says it, acknowledges it, admits it.
Photo Martin Alari
Chief Fady Dagher was on patrol with Agent Bellavance, who has been a police officer for more than two years.
What will you do to bring and keep the police in Montreal?
Recruitment will be the number one priority. Also storage. But I will want to think outside the box. It will take courage at the city and government levels to accept this. I don’t know if we have a free hand, so I don’t want to talk about it too much. We plan to hire 310 new police officers this year, but if we just look at the pool [de policiers qui vont sortir de Nicolet]we won’t get there.
How can gun violence be curbed in Montreal?
We need to give polls more robustness and more resources. Beyond what was in place, more needs to be done. I’ve consulted my troops, we’re working on it. The event that took place in Rosemont on Sunday [un homme en crise qui a ouvert le feu vers deux patrouilleurs], I went to the field. The weapon seized was a machine gun. I’m used to confiscating this type of weapon, but from organized crime. There it ended up in the hands of someone who has mental health issues, that’s not normal.
Do you have any information about this story that you would like to share with us?
Do you have a scoop that might be of interest to our readers?