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MONTREAL — Denis Mainville had served more than 30 years with the Montreal police and was head of the major crimes unit when in 2014 he made a mistake that would bring an early end to his career: he met with a journalist.

Another investigator noticed the meeting — hard to miss considering it took place in Mainville’s glass-doored office — and reported it to police internal affairs, suspecting Mainville was the source of a La Presse scoop about the case of a speeding undercover police officer who crashed into a car, leading to the death of a five-year-old child.

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Mainville was investigated criminally for breach of trust but never charged. He denied leaking any confidential information but was suspended 10 days for disregarding internal policy concerning contact with the media. After being shuffled to a different job, he took early retirement, referring in a letter to the police chief to the “hysteria” created by his meeting with the reporter.