NEWS RELEASE
SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT
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The director of the Special Investigations Unit, Tony Loparco, has terminated an investigation into an interaction that occurred in October of 2018 between a 39-year-old man and Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) officers. The SIU was notified of this incident by the police service on Feb. 12, 2019.
At approximately 4:15 p.m. on Oct. 13, 2018, Niagara Regional Police Service officers began investigating a man in the area of Drummond Road and Lundy’s Lane.
While police were talking to the man, the man punched a civilian and banged on the hood of the police vehicle. There was an interaction between police and the man, and he was arrested. The man was transported to hospital for treatment.
Director Loparco said, “During the course of the investigation, investigators obtained medical records from multiple health institutions. The medical records confirmed the man did not suffer a serious injury. Accordingly, I have terminated the investigation into this incident."
The SIU is an arm’s length agency that investigates reports involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault. Under the Police Services Act, the Director of the SIU must:
- consider whether an officer has committed a criminal offence in connection with the incident under investigation
- depending on the evidence, lay a criminal charge against the officer if appropriate or close the file without any charges being laid
- report the results of any investigations to the Attorney General.
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