There are three agencies that oversee different areas relating to police services.
The Office of the Independent Police Review Director is responsible for receiving, managing and overseeing all public complaints about the police in Ontario. As a civilian arm’s-length agency of the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General, our decisions are independent from the government, the police and the public.
Our goals is to provide an independent, effective, transparent and accessible public complaints system that is fair to both the public and the police and builds confidence in the public complaint process.
Our office cannot investigate, recommend or lay criminal charges.
The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) conducts investigations of incidents involving the police that have resulted in death, serious injury, or allegations of sexual assault. The SIU is a civilian law enforcement agency independent of the police. For more information about the SIU, please visit www.siu.on.ca.
The Ontario Civilian Police Commission (OCPC) is an independent quasi-judicial agency that hears appeals of police disciplinary decisions; adjudicates disputes between municipal councils and police service boards involving budget matters; conducts hearings into requests for the reduction, abolition, creation or amalgamation of police services; conducts investigations and inquiries into the conduct of chiefs of police, police officers and members of police services boards; determines the status of police service members; and provides general enforcement relating to the adequacy and effectiveness of policing services. For more information about the OCPC, please visit their website.
There are a number of police oversight agencies in Canada. Please visit the individual websites to get more information about how each agency operates.
Canadian Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement
Military Police Complaints Commission
Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (CRCC)
Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT)
Edmonton Police Commission
Calgary Police Commission
Alberta Law Enforcement Review Board (LERB)
Independent Investigations Office of BC
Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner
Independent Investigations Unit
Law Enforcement Review Agency (LERA)
New Brunswick Police Commission
Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Public Complaints Commission
Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner
Serious Incident Response Team
Office of the Police Commissioner
Système Déontologique Policier (Police Ethics System)
National Association of Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement
Citizens’ Police Review Board
Independent Review Office of the Police Oversight
Independent Police Review Authority
Office of the Police Auditor
Civilian Review Board
Los Angeles Police Commission
Office of the Inspector General
Office of the Independent Police Monitor
Civilian Complaint Review Board
Portland City Auditor’s Independent Police Review
Citizens’ Law Enforcement Review Board
Department of Police Accountability
Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC)
Police Investigations and Review Commissioner
Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland
Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission
Independent Police Conduct Authority
Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity
Commonwealth Ombudsman
Independent Commission Against Corruption (NSW)
Crime and Misconduct Commission (Queensland)
Complaints Authority Against Police Officers of the Hong Kong Police Force