How roles of law enforcement watchdog agencies would change
Name: The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) What it does: This civilian law enforcement agency is independent of the police and conducts criminal investigations into circumstances involving police and civilians that have resulted in serious injury, death or allegations of sexual assault. It gathers and assesses evidence, and its director decides whether the evidence leads to the reasonable belief that a criminal offence has been committed. If the director forms such a belief, she or he lays a criminal charge against the police officer and that charge is prosecuted by the Crown Attorney. New name: The Ontario Special Investigations Unit (OSIU) How it would change: An expanded mandate would include circumstances involving former police officers, volunteer members of police services, special constables, and, in certain cases, off-duty officers and members of First Nations police services. The OSIU may also lay charges related to criminal offences uncovered in the course of an investigation, even if they are not related to a civilian death, serious injury or sexual assault. It would also be able to require police officers to comply with investigations and would be able to impose penalties for failure to to do so. OSIU reports would be released publicly and new time limits would be imposed for the completion and public reporting of investigations. The government could limit the number of former officers on the OSIU investigative team.
Name: Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD)
What it does: The OIPRD receives, manages and oversees public complaints about police. This arm’s length agency of the Ministry of the Attorney General makes decisions independent of the police, government and the public. The director of the OIPRD must never have been a police officer and its staff can’t be serving officers.
New name: Ontario Policing Complaints Agency (OPCA)
How it would change: Within five years, the agency would become the sole investigative body for all public complaints made against police officers, special officers and in some cases, members of First Nations police. This would enhance the independence of policing oversight investigations by ensuring that police services are not investigating themselves. The agency would have the power to investigate even if a public complaint is not filed if it is in the public interest. The government could limit the number of former officers employed by the OPCA.
Name: Ontario Civilian Police Commission What it is: An independent quasijudicial agency. Among its roles: it hears appeals of police disciplinary decisions; adjudicates disputes between municipal councils and police service boards involving budget matters; it conducts hearings into requests for the reduction, abolition, creation or amalgamation of police services and it conducts investigations and inquiries into the conduct of chiefs of police, police officers and members of police services boards. New name: Ontario Policing Discipline Tribunal How it would change: The tribunal would be dedicated solely to adjudicating disciplinary matters involving police officers and special constables. Public complaints would no longer be adjudicated internally by police services.