A complaint was made to the Inspector General alleging that the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) responded inadequately to several calls for service regarding an individual who repeatedly attended a residence, approached children, and left disturbing messages on a sidewalk.
The Inspector General found that the OPS complied with the Community Safety and Policing Act, 2019 and its regulations. While one attending officer initially concluded there were no grounds to believe an offence had occurred, a subsequent investigation by another officer resulted in reasonable grounds being established and the individual's arrest the following day.
While the Inspector General found no concerns with the OPS's call-taking, dispatch, or oversight processes, concerns were raised about the apparent disparity between the investigative approaches by the two officers. The information provided triggered the requirement for the Inspector General to refer the matter to the Complaints Director of the Law Enforcement Complaints Agency for their consideration.
Outcome: OPS complied with the CSPA and its regulations; concerns about the conduct of the initial investigating officer were referred to the Complaints Director.