Ombudsman report : Oversight unseen : investigation into the Special Investigations Unit's operational effectiveness and credibility

These included most of the current SIU staff, former SIU staff, senior officials with the Ministry of the Attorney General, complainants, community groups, experts, consultants, representatives from the policing community (including the Commissioner of the OPP and the chiefs of police from the Peterborough Lakefield Community Police Service, Thunder Bay Police Service, Toronto Police Service, and [...] The areas of concern identified were the timely notification of incidents to the SIU by the police, control of incident scenes pending the SIU investigators’ arrival, and timely co-operation of police officers involved in the incidents. [...] Adams declared that “none of the concerns raised … during this review constitute the type of systemic failure existing at the time of the original facilitation.” 21 35 Having been the Director of the Special Investigations Unit from September 1996 to June 1998, I have more than a passing familiarity with the challenges that faced those investigating police conduct during the time covered by the fi [...] The judge dismissed the case in 2001, and remarked in his decision: There appeared to be, on the part of certain of the police witnesses and certain police associations, an almost Pavlovian reaction against a civilian agency investigating the conduct of police officers in carrying out their duties and against the idea that such an agency could conduct an investigation which would be fair to police [...] The Director of the SIU may relieve chiefs of their obligation to comply with the provisions of the regulation if, in the Director’s opinion, compliance is impossible for reasons beyond the chief’s or officer’s control.