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Nearly 3 dozen complaints filed after Ottawa police launch harassment strategy

Ottawa's police force has received nearly three dozen complaints from its members since launching a strategy last spring to tackle sexual violence and harassment, according to a report going before the city's police board next week.

The 33 complaints reported to the Ottawa Police Service's (OPS) respect, ethics and values directorate since May 2020 cover a wide range of topics, from harassment — both sexual and otherwise — to abuses of authority, discrimination and ethical breaches.

Just over half of the complainants were women, notes the report, which goes to the Ottawa Police Services Board on Monday.

Roughly 70 per cent of the complaints came from sworn members of the force, while the remainder were made by civilian employees, the report said.

Two of the complaints have been forwarded to the Rubin Thomlinson law firm, which the OPS hired in September to investigate allegations of sexual harassment and violence within its ranks.