Special Investigations Unit
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) of Ontario, Canada is a civilian agency responsible for investigating incidents between police and civilians, especially if there is an injury or fatality. The goal of the SIU is to promoting and maintaining the community's confidence in Ontario’s police services through highly professional and independent investigations.
The SIU replaced the Ontario Civilian Commission on Police Services Board of Inquiry.
The SIU was created after the Task Force on Race Relations and Policing in 1988 and lead to the revision of the Police Services Act of Ontario. The unit commenced operations in 1990. Initially the SIU was headquartered in Toronto, but in 2000 it moved to the current location in Mississauga, Ontario.
The SIU is responsible for 65 police services (approximately 21,600 officers) from the Ontario Provincial Police to local police forces in Ontario.
From 1990 to 1992, the SIU was transferred from the Office of the Solicitor General, to the Office of the Attorney General.
[edit] Organization
The main structure of the SIU consists of:
- Director of the SIU
- 40 civilian investigators (mostly non-police officers)
- 3 Investigative Supervisors
- 10 full-time Investigators
There is also a Forensic Identification Section
- 2 full-time Forensic Identification Supervisors
- 7 as-needed Forensic Identification Technicians
Other staff include:
- Executive Officer
- Legal Counsel
- Administrative Manager
- Communications Manager
- Training Coordinator
- transcribers
- central registry clerk
- budget and inventory clerk
- information technology systems analyst
- administrative assistants
A list of SIU Directors since 1990
- Hon. Mr Justice John Osler 1990-1995, former Ontario judge
- Graham Reynolds 1995-1996
- André Marin 1996-1998 - now Ontario Ombudsman
- Peter A. Tinsley 2001-2003
- John A. Sutherland 2003-2004 - as interim director
- James L. Cornish 2004-present
