Media Inquiries:
Members of the media can use our dedicated media phone line or email address to contact the OIPRD. Please indicate if you are working to deadline.
Phone : 416-314-4517
Email : oiprdmedia@ontario.ca
Facts about the OIPRD:
Director Stephen Leach:
Confidentiality
The OIPRD is mandated to protect the privacy of all individuals involved in the complaints process. Under the Police Services Act, the OIPRD cannot provide third parties with any information about complaints or complainants. For this reasons, we do not comment on or release information about individual public complaints.
1. Why can’t the OIPRD confirm or provide any information regarding public complaints?
The Police Services Act protects the privacy interests of involved parties during the complaints process. Due to the confidentiality provisions in the Police Services Act, the Director cannot confirm the receipt of a complaint or provide any related information with respect to a complaint.
2. Are all hearing decision results available on the OIPRD’s website?
No. The OIPRD is only mandated to post decisions of disciplinary hearings resulting from a public complaint. Once a decision is issued, the Chief of Police will provide the Director with a copy of the decision. Subject to any publication ban, the OIPRD will publish the decision on its website.
3. Does the OIPRD manage disciplinary hearings?
The OIPRD does not manage disciplinary hearings. Under the Police Services Act, disciplinary hearings are conducted by the police service.
4. Can the OIPRD provide information about a specific Police Services Act hearing?
The OIPRD cannot provide such information as Police Services Act hearings are ordered and held by the relevant Chief or OPP Commissioner. The OIPRD is not a party to the proceedings.
Members of the public and media can contact the police service for more information.
5. Can the OIPRD share complaint statistics for police services?
Police service complaint statistics are available on the OIPRD’s website and can be viewed here.
Statistics prior to 2020 can be found in the respective annual report.
6. What is the average timeline for an investigation?
The Police Services Act contemplates that investigations be completed within six months. To ensure this timeline is met, the OIPRD has set a performance measure of 120 days for a conduct complaint to be completed once a decision is made to retain or refer a complaint for investigation.
More complex investigations often take longer than six months.
7. What happens once an investigation is complete?
If the investigation was conducted by the OIPRD, upon completion of it, an investigative report is sent to the relevant parties: the Chief, the complainant, and the respondent officer(s).
If the investigation was conducted by the police service, an investigative report is sent to the relevant parties: the OIPRD, the complainant, and the respondent officer(s). If the Chief determines that there was no misconduct or that the misconduct was less serious in nature, the complainants may ask the Director to review the decision of the chief. The review is done in writing. Following the review, the Director may
– Confirm the Chief’s decision
– Vary the Chief’s decision
– Take over the investigation of the complaint
– Take or require the chief to take any necessary steps in relation to the complaint.
If an allegation is substantiated serious, the matter will proceed to a public disciplinary hearing. If the allegations are found to be substantiated but less serious in nature, the Chief will impose discipline in accordance with the Police Services Act.
Links:
Comprehensive Ontario Police Services Act
OIPRD Legislation, Rules, and Regulations
The OIPRD has the power to conduct systemic reviews. A systemic review examines the procedures, practices and policies, and any root causes that may promote or perpetuate systemic issues within a police service. The purpose of a systemic review is to determine whether systemic failings have occurred and identify issues to be addressed in order to make recommendations for change, rather than assign individual fault. A systemic review will sometimes be done at the same time as a conduct investigation, although they involve separate procedures.
