In a shocking revelation, five Somali officers of the Ottawa Police Service allege they were secretly wiretapped for months without any charges being laid against them, according to a $2.5-million lawsuit. The officers claim that this surveillance was racially motivated and stemmed from their connections to alleged criminals, leading to an illegal invasion of their privacy.
The plaintiffs, Constables Liban Farah, Mohamed Islam, Abdullahi Ahmed, Ahmedkador Ali, and Feisal Bila Houssein, argue that the Ottawa Police Services Board discriminated against them, despite being hired to improve representation of racialized communities within the force. They assert that their advocacy against racism within the police department led to retaliation, including being subjected to unwarranted surveillance.
The lawsuit contends that the police relied on racist stereotypes about Black men and Somali families to justify the wiretaps, which left the officers feeling anxious, confused, and targeted by their peers. The officers are now fighting to unseal the court documents related to the wiretap authorizations, which they claim were obtained unlawfully.
The Ottawa Police Service Board has denied these allegations, asserting that the wiretap authorizations were procured lawfully and that the claims do not represent a systemic issue within the department. However, the lawsuit highlights a troubling pattern of discrimination and abuse of power within the OPS, calling for significant censure and compensation for the affected officers.
This case raises serious questions about the treatment of racialized officers in law enforcement and the implications of using state power against individuals within the very institution meant to uphold justice.