News Release
No Charges to Issue in Relation to Arrest of Woman in Hamilton
Case Number: 20-OCI-242
On December 7, 2019, a 56-year-old woman was apprehended under the Mental Health Act by Hamilton Police Service officers and taken to hospital. In August of 2020, the woman filed a complaint with the Office of the Independent Police Review Director asserting that the police officers had broken her left wrist in the course of her arrest. This matter came to the SIU’s attention on September 28, 2020, and an investigation was commenced. The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has determined there are no reasonable grounds to believe that an officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the woman’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