News Release
Police Service Dog Bit Man, but Due to No Serious Injuries, SIU Terminates London Investigation
Case Number: 18-OCI-339
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Tony Loparco, has terminated an investigation into the December 2015 arrest of a 34-year-old man in London. The man notified the SIU of this incident on November 21, 2018, at which time an investigation was commenced.
On December 24, 2015, London Police Service officers attended a residence for a domestic situation. When the 34-year-old man refused the officers entry and would not present himself as requested, officers gained entry through another door. The man fled to the second floor where he was located by an officer with a police service dog. During the arrest, the man was bitten by the dog and he sustained lacerations.
Director Loparco said, “The medical records indicate that the injuries to the man were not serious. 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