News Release
SIU Terminates Niagara Falls Investigation as Injury Not Serious
Case Number: 19-OCI-037
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Tony Loparco, has terminated an investigation into an interaction that occurred in October of 2018 between a 39-year-old man and Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) officers. The SIU was notified of this incident by the police service on February 12, 2019.
At approximately 4:15 p.m. on October 13, 2018, Niagara Regional Police Service officers began investigating a man in the area of Drummond Road and Lundy’s Lane. While police were talking to the man, the man punched a civilian and banged on the hood of the police vehicle. There was an interaction between police and the man, and he was arrested. The man was transported to hospital for treatment.
Director Loparco said, “During the course of the investigation, investigators obtained medical records from multiple health institutions. The medical records confirmed 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