News Release
SIU Director Responds to OACP’s Position on Naloxone Cases
Case Number: N/A
On January 29, 2018, the SIU received a letter from the president of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP). Subject to certain exceptions, the OACP president asserted in his letter that the SIU need not be notified – and police services would not notify the SIU – of all incidents involving the administration, attempted administration or non-administration of naloxone by police officers in the course of interactions with persons who sustain serious injury or death.
The SIU is established under section 113 of the Police Services Act to investigate police officers in cases of serious injury or death. As these types of incidents could reasonably be captured by the SIU’s investigative jurisdiction, it is the SIU’s position that chiefs of police are legally obligated to immediately report these incidents to the SIU pursuant to section 3 of O. Reg. 267/10.
Here is SIU Director Tony Loparco’s response to the OACP letter:
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