Montreal's top 10 cops of all time

   Coolopolis likes its cops old-style, not scared to get their nose dirty or to know who's the good guy and who's the average citizen.
   Here's our top 10 list of Montreal cops.

Henry Bond, died early

   Henry Bond was one of 16 kids born to a family in the Gaspe – although he had no kids of his own. He joined the Montreal police force at age 20, and served until his premature death at age 59. In his early days Bond & Bedard became known as one of the best cop duos in the city. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1950 and scored a big takedown when he found Gerry McKuhen, who had committed a murder during a heist in the Lutin Qui Bouffe restaurant and had started a new life in Texas. Bond’s team wanted to wiretap McKuhen’s father but were unable to as the old man didn’t have a phone. They figured he was using his neighbour’s phone and they were right. They tapped that one and voila, they got his location through phone records.

Julien "The Human
Computer" Giguere

     - 
Julien Giguere managed informants for the Montreal police force in the early 70s and neutralize crime organizations such as the FLQ. The police controller was so knowledgeable that he was referred to as the human computer due to his incredible memory. He was also trusted by his informants, who included Carole Devault.

Rene Duperron was the sheriff of the Main, covering the tenderloin turf of St. Lawrence below Sherbrooke in its rough years. He was better known by his nickname Cartouche, from Cartridge, a reference to the gun he openly wielded. His career spanned 1949 to 1979, the last two decades of which were on his special beat. When the police replaced their badges with name tags Duperron’s read Cartouche as a sign of respect to the reputation he had earned.

Dave Adamo Downtown Station 10 in the 70s and 80s was full of high-profile gangbusters such as Kevin McGarr who once got his skull split open by West End Gang members before retiring and heading CATSA. But Adamo, from the Griff, was the key man in that era. Adamo, who has since retired and moved out west, started on a squad that openly took graft and but he stubbornly refused. Two of his Special Team partners were suspended after looking the other way when the Chez Paree was trashed. Adamo, according to one colleague was so thorough and ingenious that when seeking evidence of a possible murder that had been placed in a dumpster, managed to persuade a reluctant truck driver into tipping it over. His trick was to tell him that there was possibly $10,000 in cash dumped in the garbage. Adamo fingered some high profile loan sharks such as Gary Ball.

    - 
Robert Menard aka Bob Menard, served in the Night Squad which managed to get confessions out of anybody they crossed. When that was disbanded after a Dubois was badly beaten (and apparently dangled in the river) he was sent to the holdup squad where he claims to have gunned down many-a-robber (although examples of this do not immediately come to mind). He then did undercover work which led him onto the trail of Paolo Violi who was discredited by his peers and eventually assassinated in the Sicilian Rizzuto takeover.

John Spedding patrolled parts of what’s now called The Plateau in the mid 19th century, living next to the fire station at Laurier and St. Denis, which he also headed. He was not allowed to patrol on the other side of Mount Royal and one day got sick of one of the drunks who dashed over and taunted him from the other side. So he ran home, changed and then thrashed the man, earning himself an $8 fine. A while later he was confronted by a group of rowdy picnicking longshoremen and who came to his rescue – the same man that he beat.

Robert Cote

   
Robert Côté Headed Montreal’s anti-bomb squad between 1963 and 1976, earning himself an Order of Canada for his troubles. He was not involved in the infamous Westmount bombings which so tragically damaged Walter Leja in 1963, as that part of town had its own police force. Cote grew up in the Point during the Depression, his dad died the year he was born and his mom raised the family on her own. After retirementhe became a Montreal city councillor. I interviewed him for this article and he's a very cool guy. He remains active in the local police museum. Named his son, born in July 1971, Pierre Richard after Pierre Laporte and James Richard Cross.

Pablo Palacios Articulate Castillian developed a reputation as a sort of Little Burgundy Rambo when he took on the crack dens that had spread throughout that part of town in the early 90s. He would have pointed questions of young men hanging around parks in expensive vehicles, which was effective police work but struck some as racial profiling. After a kid was killed by his own gun Palacios invited a TV crew to come along with him on his

patrol, and they showed him entering a crackhouse in uniform, after entering with the correct password, Pizza. He cultivated an crack dealing informant who became suspected in the area, as he appeared invulnerable to arrest. That informant couldn't get fronted drugs and ended up shooting a south American in a drug burn. Police then sought him and ended up shooting the wrong guy, Marcellus Francois in his place. Palacois was then charged with assault after men under his command claimed he had slapped a Crescent St. businessman in an alleyway. He was acquitted and has been working a desk job since.
See also: The epic tale of Montreal's Dirty Harry and his one-man war on crack cocaine

War vet Jacques Cinq-Mars
inspired Trevor Ferguson's
John Farrow novels

    
Albert Lisacek Member of the provincial police and not technically a Montreal cop, this strapping hulk of a cop had every hood looking for him. He’d walk his dog near his home at Fort and St. Catherine with his wife 10 steps behind carrying a gun. He was sometimes credited with killing Richard Blass but in fact was only on the scene when it happened. His role in the FLQ crisis was considered far more important than any other officer.

Some other candidates: Louis Fourcaudot (arson squad chief early 70s who oversaw several arson crises), Louis Cyr, Jacques Cinq Mars, Andre Savard, Claude Aubin, Steve Roberts, Andre Bouchard, Jean Savaria, William Bumbray, George Springate, John Parker and Boer War Vet Joe Gorman.



Also:

Steve Olynyk
proud U   

Steve Olynyk (1922-2002) Known as the Ukrainian morality squad cop who kicked down doors and trashed pinball machines. With the help of his eagle-eyed son – also uncovered a timeclock scandal involving the Canadiens in which timekeeper Andre Dandurand was busted in 1968. He retired and in 1978 became became high-profile mayor of Greenfield Park, where he opposed language laws and fired a top. He retired in 1995. Raised in the Point. His father was interned in a camp during World War I after arriving in Canada in 1907, simply because he was Ukrainian. Was seen at least once tipping off targets of his pinball raids.