News Release
SIU Terminates Windsor Investigation
Case Number: 19-OCI-001
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Tony Loparco, has terminated an investigation into an April 2018 interaction that occurred between police officers in Windsor and a 38-year-old man.
On April 12, 2018, the man was arrested by officers with Windsor Police Service in relation to a domestic incident. The man was placed in a cell at the station. During the course of the night, he requested his shoes and proceeded to put on the left shoe without assistance. A short time later, an officer returned and assisted the man with his right shoe. The man alleged that during this interaction he suffered a fracture to his left leg.
Director Loparco said, “The video evidence leads me to conclude that the man caused the injury to his left leg himself and that the injury was not the result of any police action. 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