Ex-Montreal homicide detective says police never needed to spy on journalists in his day

This is the third in CBC's new podcast series, Montreapolis.You can hear a full feature interview with AndrBouchardon the podcast,which bringsyou conversations with people who make upmodern Montreal. Subscribe here.

Andr Bouchard, aformer high-ranking Montreal police officer, saysthat in his day, officers never would have dreamed of spying on journalists.

"We didn't even have to do that. If we had a real problem back in those days, we'd actually go see the journalist," Bouchardtold CBC Montreal's newpodcastMontreapolisina wide-ranging interview, as he reflected on his long career.

"We wouldn't threaten them. We'd sit down with them. We knew them all."

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Bouchard's comments come after revelationslast fall that Montreal police and Quebec provincial police tracked the cell phones of some of Quebec's best-known journalists for extended periods.

Thoserevelations prompted the provincial government to launch a public inquiry,which got underway in early April and continues this week.

Martin Prud'homme, chief of the Sret du Qubec, is expected to speak Monday, whileMontreal police Chief Philippe Pichetis scheduled to appear Tuesday.

Public Security Minister Martin Coiteuxalso ordered an administrativeinquiry into how Montreal police have handled internal investigations, after determining there were "systemic problems."

Never asked, 'Could I talk to this guy?'

Bouchard is a large, physically imposingman who likesto laugh.

He started as a police officer in 1971, walking the beat downtown. By the time he retired in 2002, he was head of homicide.

Bouchard's face was well known to Quebecers, ashe often appeared on TVspeakingdirectly to reporters about investigations, something that rarely happens today.

"I was the last police officer who had permission to talk directly to journalists. I didn't have to call downtown and say, 'Could I talk to this guy? Could I talk to this guy?'" Bouchard said.

Since Bouchard retired, the protocol has changed. Investigating officers are usually off limits to reporters, with journalists putting their questions about investigations to media relations officers.

"Today? There's a homicide, who do you get? A little uniformed guy,"Bouchard said.

Affecting a nasally, twerpish voice, he mimicked:"Police were called at 4:47. It's under investigation. We'll know more in the next three or four days. Thank you. Bye."

He laughed.

"That's not what journalists stay up all night waiting behind a line for, in the rain sometimes," he said.

Mutual respect eroded

The way Bouchard remembers it,journalists and police were sometimes at odds, but there was always mutualrespect.

"Just pick up the phone and callmeif you have abit of information," Bouchard said he'd tell reporters."You don't have to tell me where you got it. Just ask me, 'Is it gonna hurt if I put it in tomorrow's newspaper?'"

He said most journalists would co-operate, and he rarely had problems. But he saidthat mutual respect has been lost.

Bouchard says police chiefs are often too eager to please their political bosses, and he points toMayor Denis Coderre, who he calls "high strung."

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Last fall,Coderre admitted he telephoned then-police chief Marc Parent in 2014 to talkabout journalist Patrick Lagac, just before police obtained warrants to look at Lagac'scell phone logs.

However,Coderre insistedhe didn't ask Parent to investigate Lagac.

"I never mix police and politics, no matter what people try to interpret," Coderre told reporters at the time.

Bouchard doesn't buy a word of it.

"The police chief is always in the mayor'soffice," Bouchard said.

"You got a mayor who doesn't like something he saw on TV, and he tells the chief of police, 'I wanna know what the f**kand how come they found out about this before it come out,' and this and that," Bouchard said.

Bouchard said he was often hauled over the carpet by mayors, even bycity councillors who tried to tell him how to do his job.

But he said police shouldn't be afraid of media scrutiny.

"I think it's a greatthing that the newspaper guys force the police officers to be good police officers."

You can hear a full feature interview with AndrBouchardonCBC'snewpodcastseries,Montreapolis,which bringsyouconversations with people who make upmodern Montreal.Subscribe here.