A police Constable working with the Montréal Police Service originally received a four-year suspension in 2012 after he was found to have been selling anabolic steroids to police colleagues.
According to records, Charles Lavallée admitted to the crimes that he committed, served his four-year suspension without pay, and then applied for reinstatement to the police force – and was granted that reinstatement in 2016.
Interestingly enough, however, an ethics committee for the Montréal Police have service has decided to suspend Lavallée once again for that initial incident – handing down a 60 day suspension without pay in 2019.
In 2012, Lavallée was found to have been selling anabolic steroids to another police officer on the force when video surveillance located outside of police headquarters caught the transaction on film. Lavallée, who was seen dressed in his police uniform, was found to have been handling a bottle of what was later discovered to be steroid tablets to a fellow officer – also in uniform – in exchange for cash.
A quick investigation was conducted, but Lavallée for his part readily admitted to the fact that he had sold the anabolic steroids directly to the police officer in question and at the same time pled guilty to steroid trafficking and drug possession charges when his case went to court in 2014.
The judge in this case permitted Lavallée to maintain a clean and unblemished criminal record through an unconditional discharge, which opened the door for Lavallée to later apply for reinstatement to the Montréal Police Service after he served out his four-year suspension.
Lavallée did sell, applied for reinstatement, went through the administrative process, and was later admitted to the force in the fall of 2016.
At the same time, higher-ups and officials in the Montréal Police Service want to better understand why Lavallée was involved with anabolic steroids in the first place. Lavallée admitted that he was using steroids to improve his on-the-job performance as well as to project a better appearance of strength, and that he believed the police officers that were purchasing steroids from him were looking to do the same.
Of course, anabolic steroid use is fully prohibited by the Montréal Police Service and steroid trafficking – the illegal sale of these controlled substances – is 100% against the law. Lavallée understood the implications of his decisions, took responsibility for his actions, and sat out his four-year suspension without complaint.
What is not understood about this specific instance is why the Provincial Police Ethics Committee decided to hand down a secondary suspension to Lavallée, even after he pled guilty, repaid his debt to society, and served his suspension.
The attorneys for Lavallée have argued that their client has been sufficiently punished for disgracing the Montréal Police Service and cannot understand why the Provincial Police Ethics Committee has decided that he should be handed down a second suspension, albeit a 60 day suspension as opposed to the four-year suspension he has already served.
As of this date the Provincial Police Ethics Committee has not responded as to why they have decided to go in this direction. It is a little bit unusual for the committee to get involved in a case like this particularly when a long suspension has already been handed down and served. We are, after all, talking about a situation that happened in 2012 – seven years ago – and this police Constable has been active on the police force for a little over two years already before this new suspension has been implemented.
Lavallée continues to serve out this new suspension and expects to be actively reinstated back to the police force by the end of February 2019.