Ottawa Police Chief Demands Behavior Change or Resignation Over Database Misuse

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.”

The chief acknowledged that the problem persisted within the force, warning that failing to confront it would only encourage such behavior to continue.

Stubbs told reporters on Monday that while some may argue the force is not making progress, it remains 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 between 2021 and 2024. According to police documents cited by 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.