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Judicial review granted; police complaint director's decision unreasonable for failing to address central arguments and bias.
The applicant sought judicial review of a decision by the Complaints Director of the Law Enforcement Complaints Agency, which confirmed an investigator's finding that his complaint against four police officers was unsubstantiated.
The applicant alleged the officers unlawfully demanded identification, unlawfully detained him, and used abusive language.
The Divisional Court allowed the application, finding the Director's decision unreasonable because it failed to adequately address the applicant's central arguments regarding the lawfulness of the demand for identification and detention under the Trespass to Property Act, misapprehended video evidence, and failed to address allegations of bias against the investigator.
The matter was remitted for redetermination.
Appeal of police officer's 18-month demotion for misconduct in sudden death investigation dismissed.
The public complainants appealed the penalty imposed on a police officer found guilty of neglect of duty and discreditable conduct in relation to the sudden death investigation of an Indigenous man.
The Hearing Officer had ordered an 18-month demotion and cultural competency training.
The complainants argued the officer should be dismissed, citing the public interest, the importance of reconciliation, and region-specific demands regarding anti-Indigenous racism.
The Ontario Civilian Police Commission dismissed the appeal, finding the Hearing Officer reasonably weighed all relevant factors, including the public interest and reconciliation, and did not err in concluding that dismissal was not warranted.
Police officer's appeal of misconduct findings and demotion for racially biased, inadequate death investigation dismissed.
The Appellant, a Staff Sergeant, appealed a Hearing Officer's decision finding him guilty of neglect of duty and discreditable conduct under the Police Services Act, and the resulting penalty of an 18-month demotion.
The charges arose from his role as the lead investigator into the sudden death of an Indigenous man, where he prematurely concluded the death was non-criminal and failed to conduct a basic investigation.
The Commission found the Hearing Officer's conclusions reasonable, including the finding that the Appellant's deficient investigation was rooted in racial bias and stereotypes.
The appeal was dismissed and the findings and penalty were confirmed.
Leave to appeal penalty granted; issues of anti-Indigenous racism in police investigation deemed significantly important.
The complainants sought leave to appeal the penalty imposed on a police officer who was found guilty of neglect of duty and discreditable conduct regarding his investigation into the sudden death of an Indigenous man.
The officer had been demoted for 18 months and ordered to complete cultural competency training.
The Commission granted leave to appeal, finding that the issues raised regarding the appropriate penalty and the consideration of the Indigenous community's perspective were of significant importance to the policing profession and the community at large.
Motion to adduce fresh evidence on police discipline appeal dismissed for lack of due diligence.
The appellant police officer sought to introduce new medical evidence and internal correspondence regarding his post-disposition work performance on his appeal of a disciplinary demotion.
The Ontario Civilian Police Commission applied the Palmer test for fresh evidence and dismissed the motion.
The Commission found that the medical evidence could have been obtained with due diligence prior to the penalty hearing, and that post-disposition work performance was not relevant where the penalty imposed was demotion rather than dismissal.
Police discipline appeal dismissed; strict criminal disclosure standards do not apply to administrative proceedings.
The appellant police officer appealed a finding of discreditable conduct and a penalty of forfeiture of five days' pay for conducting unauthorized CPIC searches on an individual involved in a domestic relationship with the officer's friend.
The officer argued that the Hearing Officer erred by refusing to order the disclosure of a 2007 investigation file regarding similar CPIC searches for which the officer was cleared.
The Commission dismissed the appeal, finding that the strict criminal disclosure standards from Stinchcombe do not apply to administrative police discipline hearings, and that the disclosure provided was sufficient to allow the officer to know the case to be met.