Suspended Montreal police chief resign, abandons lawsuit

Suspended Montreal police chief Philippe Pichet has given up his battle to get his job back. ), Mayor Valérie Plante has announced that Pichet has agreed to give up his former position as police chief and will remain in the city’s employ as chief inspector for the Service de police de la ville de Montréal (SPVM).

Pichet  is also abandoning a lawsuit he had launched against the city of Montreal and Quebec’s public security department, demanding his reinstatement as police chief and contesting his suspension last December.

Plante said Pichet and outgoing city manager Alain Marcoux negotiated the settlement hours before she announced it. “What’s important for us is on the one hand to recognize the contribution Mr. Pichet has made as an employee of the SPVM for many years. “Clearly, he was not the person best placed to be police chief with what was going on at the SPVM, but the fact remains that he is a man who has given a great deal of service to the police force,” she said.

Pichet is going back to a position he held in 2013-14, before being appointed assistant director in 2014 and police chief in 2015 by then-mayor Denis Coderre.

The settlement came as Montreal city council was about to vote on Pichet’s dismissal.