Police watchdog dismisses complaints

Complaints filed by a Carleton University criminologist against an Ottawa police officer and by a civil liberties advocate against the police union boss have been dismissed by the civilian body that investigates public complaints against cops.

In dismissing the complaint made by criminologist Darryl Davies, the Office of the Independent Police Review Director found that there was insufficient evidence to support a charge of discreditable conduct against Const. Thanh Tran.

The civilian body also found that all allegations made against Ottawa Police Association president Matt Skof by Ontario Civil Liberties Association president Joseph Hickey were unsubstantiated, and dismissed that complaint, too.

Hickey filed his complaint against Skof after the union boss demanded an apology from Davies for having a witness in a police assault trial speak to his class before that trial began. Skof also sent a letter to the president of the university more than a year ago saying the union would sever its ties with the institution.

Skof had maintained that he was speaking as president of the association and not as a sergeant in the police force. The OIPRD agreed.

Davies filed a separate complaint alleging discreditable conduct against Tran after the officer responded to a letter written by Davies and published in the Toronto Star criticizing the amount of money spent on police funerals.

Davies told the Citizen the OIPRD’s decision is indicative of a body that he said is failing citizens.

“What this and other OIPRD decisions illustrate, is that when it comes to holding police officers accountable for alleged misconduct under the Police Services Act of Ontario, no citizen should expect any kind of accountability or oversight from the Office of the Independent Police Review Director,” Davies wrote in an email to the Citizen. “This decision like hundreds of others by the OIPRD reinforces the view that the Ontario government should introduce legislation giving the Ombudsman of Ontario the same statutory authority and power to review practices, procedures and decisions by the OIPRD as it currently has over the Special Investigations Unit.

Skof said the police oversight mechanisms in place already provide accountability.