A three-year investigation into internet use at the Quebec City police force has led to suspensions without pay for nine male officers. In a statement released Thursday, the city said that in some cases, the material viewed and shared by the men was offensive and in bad taste.

Officials would not go into specifics about the nature of the content except to say the investigation showed the officers' actions were not criminal. They did, however, contravene the city's policy on the use of information and telecommunications technology by municipal employees, which was adopted in 2005. Coun. Richard Côté says inappropriate use of the web by municipal staff puts the city's IT network at risk.

"It's very dangerous for our system because it can trigger computer viruses," Côté said.

The nine officers received suspensions ranging from three to 30 days. Five other officers received notices informing them they were also under investigation, but they were cleared of any wrongdoing.

The sanctions against the officers are the second wave of disciplinary measures by the city following the launch of its probe of internet use, dubbed Operation Windows, in 2007. Fifteen civil servants were sanctioned in the first phase.

At least one person lost his job for surfing a pornographic site while others were punished for going on the social networking site Facebook.

So far, Côté says, the city has spent more than $1.1 million going after police officers and civil servants who misuse the internet.

The next group of city employees to have their internet use reviewed will be firefighters.

"It's worth every penny because if a virus paralyzed the IT system, it would be very costly to fix, and the network also contains sensitive information about the city's finances," Côté said.

Côté said handing out suspensions for the types of violations the investigation identified is a complicated, long and expensive process because managers must ensure they do not violate any of the rights guaranteed under the officers' collective agreement.

The union representing the officers called the investigation and the suspensions a form of harassment and is holding a media conference Friday at which it promises to reveal new information.