A Canadian police chief has told officers to “change your behavior or quit” after accusing some members of using police databases and other law enforcement resources to look up women and pursue intimate relationships.
The remarks were made in a seven-minute internal video sent last month by Ottawa Police Chief Eric Stubbs to all members of the force, according to CBC News, which obtained the recording.
“Members are using our databases as their own way to meet women,” Stubbs says in the video, which has since gone viral.
He described cases in which officers allegedly recorded license plate numbers after seeing women at coffee shops, gyms, or on the road, and then searched police systems for their personal information.
“We’ve seen members messaging vulnerable victims on calls that they’ve attended in an attempt to develop an intimate relationship,” Stubbs said, adding: “Change your behavior now – or quit, leave.”
He acknowledged that the problem persists within the force, warning that failing to confront it will only encourage this behavior to continue.
Stubbs told reporters on Monday that while some may argue that the force is not making progress, it is committed to addressing the problem and “will not stop trying.”
This week, nine directors of Ottawa-area sexual assault and support organizations reportedly sent a joint letter calling for a comprehensive and transparent response, while questioning whether past cases involving officers now facing misconduct allegations had been properly investigated.
The controversy comes amid a series of recent cases involving Ottawa police officers and the misuse of official databases.
Earlier this year, Constable Andrew Reesor was charged under Ontario’s policing law after allegedly conducting dozens of unauthorized searches of government databases from 2021 to 2024. According to police documents cited by the CBC, he admitted that some searches involving women were motivated by “curiosity” and “attraction.”
The force has also disciplined another officer for improper database searches, while a separate officer was charged with assault and criminal harassment earlier this year.