Multiple women's advocacy groups have signed a letter addressing the Ottawa Police Service to remove an officer who threatened to kill his ex-partner and wielded a knife while they were arguing.
CBC News reported Constable Yourik Brisebois pleaded guilty to two counts of discreditable conduct.
Brisebois had been suspended with pay between August 2020 and February 2022 following a report to the police from the alleged victim.
Before his guilty verdict, Brisebois returned to work and was subsequently given a conditional discharge should he abide by the terms of his three-year probation order.
"There's a deep systemic issue when it comes to gender-based violence at the hands of police officers — and the level of impunity that then accompanies that," said Yamikani Msosa, executive director of the Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women, one of the co-signers of the aforementioned letter. "This is not the first, and likely won't be the last, that we hear of."
A few months after the guilty verdict, Brisebois faced a proposed two-year demotion.
"With the proper support, there is no reason to believe that he is no longer useful as a police officer," prosecutor Vanessa Stewart said at the hearing.
The letter signed by the women's advocacy groups insists the discipline isn't enough and claims it "grossly undermines the service's responsibilities as an employer."
"Allowing an officer with a conviction for such serious offenses to remain on the force erodes public trust, endangers victims, particularly the victim of his crimes, and sends a disheartening message to our community," the letter read, according to CBC News.
A spokesperson for the Ottawa Police Service declined to comment until a decision regarding the penalty is finalized.
