Secret Video Leaks: Chief’s Ultimatum
Ottawa Police Chief Eric Stubbs issued a stark internal ultimatum to his officers: stop using police databases as a personal dating tool, or leave. The video, recorded in early May 2026 and later obtained by CBC News, captures Stubbs confronting a pattern of behaviour he says 'tarnishes every one of us' and erodes public trust.
Change your behaviour now or quit. Leave.Eric Stubbs, Ottawa Police Chief
Stubbs detailed how officers were '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,' turning official databases into '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.Eric Stubbs, Ottawa Police Chief
The video also highlighted officers messaging vulnerable victims from calls to pursue intimate relationships, and colleagues making sexually charged comments at work. 'We’ve seen sexual harassment, and we’ve seen sexual assault,' Stubbs said.
We’ve seen members messaging vulnerable victims on calls that they’ve attended in an attempt to develop an intimate relationship.Eric Stubbs, Ottawa Police Chief
Cases Expose Pattern
Constable Jerome Rabiha-Stevens was demoted in spring 2026 after pleading guilty to unauthorized database searches. Over 14 months, he ran checks on a woman he met at the gym 49 times, his ex-partner, her parents, and others. Another officer, Constable Andrew Reesor, faces a hearing for 77 improper searches, many driven by 'attraction' or 'boredom.'
Such cases are part of a broader crisis. The force is reeling from a sergeant’s suicide after sexual assault allegations, an officer charged with partner violence, and a union president under investigation for a historical assault. Public trust hangs in the balance.
Leadership Vows Reform
At a June 2026 Ottawa Police Services Board meeting, Deputy Chief Trish Ferguson admitted past efforts failed: 'They were costly, sometimes ineffective in changing behaviour and revictimized our complainants, and did more damage than restoration.' A new approach urges peers to confront misconduct directly.
They were costly, sometimes ineffective in changing behaviour and revictimized our complainants, and did more damage than restoration.Trish Ferguson, Deputy Chief of Ottawa Police
Yet the force’s safe workplace program saw its budget slashed from $8.2 million in 2022 to $5.4 million. Chief Stubbs, while admitting 'we could say we’re not making any progress,' insists the service will 'not stop trying.' The question remains whether these latest pledges will finally break a decade-long cycle of abuse and inaction.
