News Release
Police Did Not Cause Man’s Injury During Arrest; SIU Terminates Windsor Investigation
Case Number: 21-OCI-145
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has terminated an investigation into an incident last month in Windsor.
On May 7, 2021, a 50-year-old man was arrested by a Windsor Police Service (WPS) officer for mischief. At the WPS detention unit the man said he had sore right ribs and said he had been at the hospital a couple days prior, because of his broken ribs. As he indicated he had an injury, he was taken to the hospital.
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, said, ” it is apparent that the man did not sustain serious injury within the terms of the SIU’s mandate, namely, a serious injury causally connected to police conduct, the SIU 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