Gatineau police officer enters guilty plea after driving while impaired

A police officer from the Service de police de la Ville de Gatineau (SPVG) has entered a guilty plea after being charged with driving a vehicle while impaired by alcohol.

The officer entered the guilty plea on Friday, March 11, where the Court of Quebec fined him $1,500 and imposed a 12-month driving ban.

Back when the incident occurred on December 11, 2021, the officer was not on duty. He was arrested by the Public Security Service of the MRC des Collines-de-l'Outaouais.

As soon as the SPVG was informed of the situation in December, its Division of Professional Standards and Internal Affairs opened an administrative investigation.

Since then, the officer has continued to work but was placed on administrative duties.

“Section 119 of the Police Act provides that any police officer found guilty of an indictable offense by summary conviction shall be subject to the disciplinary sanction of dismissal, unless he demonstrates that particular circumstances justify another sanction,” a news release says.

“Thus, although he was not on duty at the time of the events, Detective Sergeant Jean-Michel Lapointe will have to submit to a disciplinary hearing.”

Following the hearing, the Discipline Committee must recommend an appropriate sanction.

“The management of the SPVG recalls that it requires its police officers to respect the highest standards in terms of ethics and professional standards, and that it does not hesitate to put in place means and processes to establish a real ethical culture within its organization,” says the release.