SPECIAL INVESTIGATION UNIT "RESPECTS" POLICE REFUSAL TO COOPERATE

SIU Director Ian Scott "..."respects" the rights of subject officers to invoke their legal rights not to consent to interviews or turn over their notes.". Those words are in the July 6, 2012 Waterloo Region Record article titled "Many police officers refuse to talk to watchdog". I find this allegedly legal behaviour a little odd but even more am amazed at the attitude of Director Scott. He has been front and centre in pointing out and complaining about the lack of cooperation his office receives from police when they the SIU are called in to investigate.

I would also like a little clarification here. Is this refusal to be interviewed include refusal when the officers have a lawyer present to protect thier rights or is it a blanket refusal. If it's a blanket refusal then something is seriuosly wrong here. Why have an SIU in the first palce if it's going to be muzzled or be just a sham? Is the SIU simply one more tame "internal" complaint procedure without teeth? Keep in mind their mandate deals with serious injury or death to citizens. As far as officers' notes go, again this is just a tad odd. If I allegedly rob a store and then write about my experiences in this same store in my diary; then you'd better believe that diary gets seized as evidence. There has long been the appearance of a double standard when it comes to serious police misbehaviour and the rule of law. These statistics described in this Record article do not increase confidence that our police are accountable even for serious criminal behaviour. That is to the detriment of society and our respect for police officers in general.