News Release
SIU Terminates Kitchener Investigation
Case Number: 18-OCI-366
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Tony Loparco, has terminated an investigation into an incident that occurred last month in a Waterloo Regional Police Service cell.
On December 19, 2018, Waterloo Regional Police Service officers arrested a 24-year-old man in a convenience store for two robberies. The man was then taken to the police station and lodged in a cell. While in the cell, the man banged his head on the cell bars with extreme force several times. Officers attended and spoke with the man. He continued to hit his head on the bars and punch himself in the face. The man was taken to hospital for treatment of injuries.
Director Loparco said, “The video evidence clearly establishes that any injury suffered by the man was self-inflicted and did not result from police conduct. In addition, the medical evidence shows no indication of serious injury. As such, 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