The Ottawa Police Service says there was one internal complaint about workplace harassment and one internal complaint about sexual harassment involving members of the service this spring. The quarterly complaints report that outlines public and internal chief complaints to the Ottawa Police Service’s Board will now include a breakdown of internal complaints about workplace harassment, sexual harassment and unauthorized use of police databases or information systems. “The inclusion of these sub-categories reflects the importance placed on workplace culture, member accountability, information security, and public trust by the province of Ontario, the Ottawa Police Service Board, and the Chief of Police,” said the report, submitted by Ottawa Police Chief Eric Stubbs. “Providing additional detail in these areas will allow for improved trend analysis, greater transparency, and a clearer understanding of the types of conduct matters being addressed through the internal complaints process.” The report says there was one internal complaint involving workplace harassment in the April to June period, and one sexual harassment complaint. Police received an internal complaint about workplace harassment and one complaint about sexual harassment involving a member of the service in the spring of 2025. No details about the complaints were released in the report. There were no internal complaints in the spring about the unauthorized use of police databases or information systems. Internal complaints are initiated by the police chief and involve allegations of officer misconduct, policy non-compliance, or other matters requiring review. Police say the complaints may arise independently or from information received through other complaint processes. The Professional Standards Unit receives, investigates and resolves complaints involving Ottawa police members. The reporting of internal complaints comes after Chief Stubbs sent a video to members of the Ottawa Police Service in May to address what he called a “pattern of behaviour.” “Members are using our databases as their own way to meet women. Seeing a woman at a coffee shop, coming out of a gym, driving next to them, getting their license plates, and running them on the system,” Stubbs said in the seven-minute video. “We’ve seen members messaging vulnerable victims on calls that they’ve attended in attempt to develop an intimate relationship. Internally, we’ve seen members making sexually themed comments directly to women in the service in the workplace. This is happening way too often. We’ve seen sexual harassment, and we’ve seen sexual assault.” The Ottawa Police Service’s Board was told in June that the service has implemented mandatory training in areas such as workplace harassment, violence, equity and inclusion as well as a shift away from a primarily reactive model to a proactive and preventative approach.
