Wellington North council heard a presentation on Monday evening about how residents can file complaints about police misconduct.
Natalia Welniak, regional outreach and education advisor with the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD), made a presentation to council about how her office handles complaints filed against police or police services boards.
She is making trips to several municipalities offering information on services provided by the office.
“The OIPRD is a civilian agency responsible for receiving, overseeing and dealing with all public complaints against police in Ontario. This includes municipal and regional police services and the Ontario Provincial Police” Welniak said in her presentation.
“The OIPRD ensures that public complaints against police in Ontario are dealt with in a way that is transparent, efficient and fair to both the public and the police.”
In 2010 to 2011 the office handled some 4,000 complaints with 2,400 of those warranting investigation, according to Welniak. The office handles any complaints involving 58 municipal police forces in Ontario and 165 OPP stations.
The office does not handle complaints involving RCMP officers, First Nations police officers, court officers, campus police, special constable and transit special constables.
Complaints are divided into two categories based on whether they are valid. Some, Welniak said, can be dealt with locally, while others require more complicated investigations. Complaints can be filed on the OIPRD website or office, at regional, municipal and provincial police stations or at over 70 Service Ontario offices in the province.
“The OIPRD must refer policy and service complaints back to the police,” Welniak said. “Complainants will have the right to ask the appropriate police services board for a review. All policy, service complaints will be the subject of a written report and the complainants and the OIPRD will always be notified of disposition.
“In deciding to refer or retain a conduct complaint for investigation, the OIPRD may consider the nature of the allegations in the complaint, the capacity (size) of the police service to conduct the investigation, any potential conflict of interest, whether there are ongoing parallel investigations, whether the complaint concerns a high-ranking officer, the geographic location of the complaint and the public interest in ensuring that investigations are thorough, independent and accountable.”
Once all necessary documentation is in place, it takes about 120 days to investigate a complaint.
Investigations referred for investigation by a police service generally involve neglect of duty, failure to treat or protect a person, failure to work in accordance with orders and improper dress or appearance.
In cases deemed serious, the office must hold a hearing.
“If the misconduct or unsatisfactory work performance was not of a serious nature, it may be resolved informally without holding a hearing,” Welniak said.
Outreach sessions are taking place across Ontario. In 2010 to 2011, 168 presentations were made.
