News Release
SIU Terminates Investigation in Brantford after Determining Injury not Serious
Case Number: 18-OCI-157
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Tony Loparco, has terminated an investigation into a 2012 interaction that occurred between a 37-year-old man and officers with the Brantford Police Service (BPS). The BPS was made aware of the complaint by the Office of the Independent Police Review Director on May 25, 2018 and in turn they notified the SIU of the incident on the same date.
In the early morning hours of November 28, 2012, police arrested the man in the area of Nelson Street and Queen Street in Brantford in relation to a disturbance call. The man was taken into custody and later released without charges. That afternoon, the man attended hospital to seek treatment for a sore left shoulder. The man’s medical records were examined by SIU investigators and it was determined that the injury did not meet the threshold for a serious injury.
Director Loparco said, “The medical evidence establishes 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