News Release
Use of Police Dog in Mississauga Arrest Determined to be Reasonable
Case Number: 19-OCI-292
On the afternoon of December 3, 2019, Peel Regional Police was notified that an impaired driver had crashed his pickup truck in the parking lot of a self-storage facility on Summerville Court in Mississauga. Officers arrived at the scene and soon after located the driver – a 41-year-old man – inside his storage unit. When the man was confronted by officers outside the unit, the man refused to show them both hands or assist in lifting the door. The officers lifted the door, and one of the officers released his police dog. The dog proceeded to bite into the man’s lower left leg. With the dog still latched to the leg, officers entered the unit and arrested the man. The man was transported to hospital where he was diagnosed and treated for several lacerations and puncture wounds. The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has determined that there are no reasonable grounds to believe that the dog’s handler committed a criminal offence in connection with the man’s arrest and injury.
Full Director’s Report (with Incident Narrative, Evidence, and Analysis & Director’s Decision):https://www.siu.on.ca/en/directors_reports.php.
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