POLICE OVERSIGHT REVIEW LAUNCHED, SIU'S LOKU REPORT PARTIALLY RELEASED
Apr 29, 2016
By Bob Komsic
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An edited version of the SIU’s report into last summer’s Toronto police shooting of Andrew Loku was released, on the same day the Wynne government announced it’s appointed an appeal court judge to lead a review of Ontario’s police oversight agencies.
The province has been under increasing pressure to release the Special Investigation Unit’s report that found an officer used justifiable force in shooting the hammer wielding 45-year-old Loku last July.
The report says though media coverage has noted he had mental health issues, there was no evidence to suggest that was the reason for his aggression toward police, rather it’s ”as likely” the reason was his blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit for driving.
Meanwhile, Appeal Court Justice Michael Tulloch will lead the review of Ontario’s three police oversight agencies and examine how SIU reports could be made public in future as well as whether past ones could be published.
Normally the SIU issues a news release summarizing a case, not the full report.
Tulloch, who was born in Jamaica and was the first black judge on the province’s high court and worked on a previous review of the SIU, will report to the government with recommendations by March 31, 2017.