A local resident has filed a complaint with the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) after witnessing a police cruiser allegedly speeding through a busy school zone here.
Christina Woodley of Erin was driving east toward Brisbane Public School on Highway 124 just after 3:15pm on April 16.
“I had just passed over Trafalgar road. There were at least three other vehicles in front of me at the time, so I was probably doing about 50 kilometres per hour. I think the posted speed limit in that area is 60,” said Woodley.
“As I was driving in this little convoy of vehicles I see this police officer beside me with his lights flashing, but I didn’t hear a siren, and he passed all four of the vehicles.
“As he’s driving by Brisbane Public School I can see a mother standing on the gravel shoulder holding her daughter’s hand as this police officer is blazing past us through the school zone.
“My guess is he was doing at least 80 to get past all four of us in that short of time,” Woodley estimated, noting she went back through the area the next day and timed herself driving the speed limit. She estimates it would have taken the officer 25 seconds to clear the school zone from Trafalgar Road at a normal speed.
Christina’s mother, Nancy Woodley, was also in the vehicle. Nancy said she noticed there were a lot of vehicles and pedestrians in the area as they approached the school.
“I could see a bus coming toward Trafalgar from opposite there … and the next thing I noticed, this police car passes us quickly, with the lights all on. I didn’t hear any sirens or anything like that, but it was motoring.
“There were people out, you could tell that it was busy at that time. Parents were arriving, buses were arriving – there was a chance of something horrendous happening.”
Christina went to the Wellington County OPP detachment in Rockwood to lodge a complaint but she says she received “a very cold reception.”
“I was told to report to OIPRD and that was the way that I was to make my complaint … I said, ‘That’s it?’ and he said, ‘Yep.’ I didn’t even get asked what it was about or anything, so I was very surprised with that.”
Rosemary Parker of the OIPRD said the Police Services Act prohibits the agency from releasing any information about ongoing investigations, or even confirming if a complaint has been filed. Should a complaint reach the investigation stage, and a decision be rendered, she said the OIPRD will post the decision on its website.
Parker said some police services routinely refer all such complaints directly to the OIPRD. However, she noted while police should at least indicate filing an OIPRD complaint is an option, there is nothing stopping the parties from working things out at the local level.
“If a complainant just wants to go to the police station and have a conversation with someone in charge … maybe the officer in charge will say ‘well I’ll talk to him,’ and maybe the complainant will say, ‘well that’s all I really wanted,’ then that’s considered a conversation outside of our jurisdiction, that just happens at the police station.”
Parker said there is also a more official process called “local resolution” that involves filling out some forms that “become a bit stronger.”
She said, “If they don’t want that they can file a formal complaint with our office.”
Christina says she had checked out her options on the OIPRD website before attending the detachment and had been planning to resolve the matter locally before being directed to make a complaint.
Wellington OPP staff sergeant Jack Hunjan said the detachment cannot comment on active OIPRD complaints. He also declined to comment on the complaint process in general.
Woodley’s complaint was listed on the OIPRD website as “in screening” as of the Advertiser’s press deadline.
Parker explained complaints can be screened out if considered unsubstantiated, or not within the agency’s jurisdiction.
If “screened in” a complaint will either be assigned to one of about a dozen OIPRD investigators or to a police agency.
She noted if a police service reports a complaint is unsubstantiated after an investigation, citizens may ask for it to be reviewed by the OIPRD.
However, rulings by OIPRD investigators are considered final.
