News Release
SIU Terminates Leamington Investigation
Case Number: 18-PCI-054
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Tony Loparco, has terminated an investigation into an interaction that occurred between Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers and a 59-year-old man in August of 2017 in Leamington. The incident was brought to the SIU’s attention on February 22, 2018.
At approximately 1 p.m. on August 2, 2018, OPP officers and a social worker attended the man’s home to apprehend him in relation to the Mental Health Act. The man would not let the officers access to his home and he would not open the door. After almost one hour of attempting to negotiate with the man through the door and a window, the man was apprehended and transported to hospital.
Director Loparco said, “The medical evidence establishes that the man did not suffer a serious injury. Accordingly, I have terminated the investigation into this incident.”
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