The province’s police oversight agency is now investigating four separate incidents involving Chatham-Kent officers.
Following a lengthy police standoff in Wallaceburg over the weekend that has led to a Special Investigations Unit (SIU) investigation, CKXS News has learned that members of the Chatham-Kent Police Service are also being investigated for three other incidents that have not previously been reported to the public.
According to the SIU, the first unreported incident involved a 34-year-old woman who was arrested shortly before noon on July 31. The woman was searched at police headquarters before being transferred to the courthouse and placed in cell.
At around 4:30 p.m., the woman was found unresponsive and first aid was administered, which included naloxone. She was then taken to the hospital for treatment.
Two other unreported SIU investigations involving CK police officers were also launched last month; one on September 8 and another on September 19. Both investigations involve allegations of sexual assault.
Due to the nature of these incidents, the SIU said it will not release further information.
“The release of information related to investigations of sexual assault allegations is associated with a risk of further deterring what is already an under-reported crime and undermining the heightened privacy interests of the involved parties, most emphatically, the complainants,” the SIU said in an emailed statement. “For this reason, we are limited in what we can share with the public.”
CKXS News has reached out to the Chatham-Kent Police Service for comment on why information about these investigations was not previously disclosed to the public. A response was not received prior to publication.
However, Chatham-Kent police have provided information about a fourth SIU investigation, following a 13-hour standoff with an armed suspect in Wallaceburg early Saturday morning. During the incident, the suspect suffered an undisclosed injury and was taken to hospital to receive medical attention.
The SIU is a civilian law enforcement agency in Ontario that investigates any incident involving police that has resulted in death, serious injury, the discharge of a firearm, or allegations of sexual assault.
