TORONTO - One year after Ontario's ombudsman released a scathing report on the province's civilian police watchdog, the agency says it has adopted 19 of 25 recommendations.
Ombudsman Andre Marin slammed the Special Investigations Unit in his Sept. 30, 2008 report, saying it required a massive overhaul to regain public trust.
He outlined 45 recommendations, 25 of which were aimed directly at the SIU, while the rest were legislative measures or aimed at the Ministry of the Attorney General.
In June, Marin criticized the SIU again, for adopting what he called all the easy recommendations, and in particular for not adopting one about ensuring officers who witness a police shooting be questioned immediately.
In a statement Monday, the SIU says its director is "reluctant to tie the hands of investigators with any hard and fast rules relating to timing and venue."
That was the same statement provided in June in response to Marin's comments then.
The SIU says 19 recommendations will have been implemented by the end of the year, including a more formal process to monitor, record and deal with instances of police not complying with regulatory requirements.
"I am confident that our progress since the release of the ombudsman's report has strengthened the ability of the SIU to fulfil its important public interest mandate," director Ian Scott said in a statement.
The SIU says it has also come up with a reformed dispatch procedure and will issue detailed news releases in more cases.
Marin, who was appointed Ontario's ombudsman in 2005, was director of the SIU from 1996 to 1998.
In his report last September he called the SIU a "toothless tiger" that has "hit rock bottom in Ontario."
