Somali community alarmed after Ottawa police officers wiretapped, watched

Members of Ottawa's Somali community came together Thursday to denounce the Ottawa police use of wiretaps and video surveillance on five of its own Black officers of Somali decent and their family members.

"We are deeply shocked and troubled by the alleged discriminatory surveillance and harassment of Somali officers and their families," said Bille Abdalla with the Somali Centre for Family Services.

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The allegations are outlined in a $2.5-million lawsuit filed by the officers against the Ottawa Police Services Board and three unnamed members of the service. The board denies the allegations.

The officers allege obtaining the wiretaps and surveillance was "based on racist and stereotypical assumptions about Black persons of Somali origin."

The community says the developments are a major setback in relations between police and marginalized communities.

"We are not walking away from this relationship because we have a vested interest for that organization to be representative of the community, to be equitable," said Mohamoud Hagi-Aden.

Others shared wider concerns from the community and what they want to see from police.

"Our safety has not been adequately addressed, leading to a severe erosion of trust and confidence in the police," Abdalla said. "We are law abiding citizens who face systemic issues that demand the Ottawa Police's immediate attention and action."

The wiretaps were authorized under part six of the Criminal Code.

"Part six of the [Criminal] Code is fairly complex. The grounds that you have to prove in an affidavit are very substantial," said Chris Lewis, CTV's public safety analyst and former OPP commissioner.

Several offences allow interception including murder, corruption, organized crime, terrorism, and drugs and weapons trafficking.

It's not known what police were looking for or what evidence was brought to a judge who ultimately authorized the wiretaps that police use to collect evidence and build a case.

"You have to show that you have tried everything or examined every other investigative means and you can't get any further," Lewis said. "So either these individuals were targets or they were somehow associated to targets and that's how they got wrapped up in a wiretap."

So far no charges have been laid.

After numerous attempts to reach the Ottawa Police Service for comment, police replied Friday with a statement.

"The Ottawa Police Service remains committed to upholding human rights and ensuring an equitable and inclusive workplace and service delivery to the communities we serve. This includes continuing to implement the new district model along with our DRIVE2 Strategy that outlines many partnership projects to improve public safety and community trust," the statement said. "We are committed to continue working with Ottawa’s diverse communities to advance important relationships and collective action."

An additional quote was attributed to Police Chief Eric Stubbs.

"We are pleased to hear that there is a willingness to work together and build stronger relationships, and we will be reaching out to Somali communities to work more closely together on a path to create positive change," Stubbs said.

Abdalla says the community wants to see an investigation into the wiretap allegations.

"We demand comprehensive reforms to ensure that all officers, regardless of race, are treated with respect and fairness, and that their rights are upheld."