News Release
No Basis to Charge Police Officer in Relation to Stratford Collision
Case Number: 18-OVI-023
Other News Releases Related to Case 18-OVI-023
During the early hours of January 31, 2018, a Stratford Police Service officer observed a vehicle driving without working taillights. When the officer activated his emergency lighting to perform a vehicle stop, the vehicle instead accelerated and fled. The vehicle driver failed to negotiate a turn, mounted the sidewalk, and struck a tree. The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Tony Loparco, has determined there are no reasonable grounds to lay criminal charges against the officer in relation to injuries sustained by two of the passengers in the vehicle.
Full Director’s Report (with Incident Narrative, Evidence, and Analysis & Director’s Decision):https://www.siu.on.ca/en/directors_reports.php.
The SIU is an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of officials (police officers as well as special constables with the Niagara Parks Commission and peace officers with the Legislative Protective Service) that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault and/or the discharge of a firearm at a person. All investigations are conducted by SIU investigators who are civilians. Under the Special Investigations Unit Act, the Director of the SIU must
- consider whether the official has committed a criminal offence in connection with the incident under investigation
- depending on the evidence, cause a criminal charge to be laid against the official where grounds exist for doing so, or close the file without any charges being laid
- publicly report the results of its investigations