News Release
SIU Determines Force Used Against Man in Windsor Arrest was not Excessive
Case Number: 19-OCI-221
On September 11, 2019, members of the ROPE (Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement) squad were in the area of Park Street West and Janette Avenue in Windsor for surveillance. Shortly after 11 a.m., an officer came upon an unrelated incident which he believed to be one of domestic violence, and he intervened. He radioed his colleagues for assistance, and a 25-year-old man was arrested. During the course of the arrest, the man sustained a broken nose. The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has determined there are no reasonable grounds to believe the officers transgressed the limits of the criminal law at any point. Accordingly, there is no basis to proceed with criminal charges against any of the officers, and the file is closed.
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