News Release
SIU Terminates Investigation into Interaction that Occurred While Man Lodged in Windsor Cell
Case Number: 20-OCI-013
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has terminated an investigation into the injury sustained last month by a 40-year-old man in Windsor.
On January 23, 2020, the man was arrested and transported to the Windsor Police Service headquarters where he was lodged in a cell. As officers attempted to collect the drawstring from the man’s pants, there was an interaction. The man was subsequently transported to hospital for treatment of an injury.
Director Martino said, “It is apparent based on the SIU’s preliminary inquiries that the man did not in fact sustain a “serious injury” for purposes of the SIU’s statutory jurisdiction. Consequently, as the SIU is without jurisdiction to investigate this incident, the investigation is hereby discontinued, and the file is closed.”
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