Police watchdog to include 911 call from chief's home in investigation of Windsor Police Service

The Ontario Civilian Police Commission (OCPC) will be looking at how Windsor Police Service (WPS) and the Windsor Police Services Board handled a 911 call that came from chief Al Frederick's home.

The police watchdog started investigating the WPSand the board on a separate matter in May 2018. Since the investigation was launched, OCPC said it became aware of the 911 call that took place Nov. 12, 2018.

"The OCPC has decided to include matters surrounding this incident [the 911 call]as part of its investigation," the email reads.

Greg Lemay, a paralegal and a community activist, said he filed two complaints to the OCPCabout the 911 call. He feels that Windsor Police Service shouldn't have been the ones to investigate when officers arrived at the chief's house.

"They shouldn't have talked to their own officers. They shouldn't have been going through their notebook or writing their own report," he said. His opinion is that the OPP should have been called to investigate.

The OCPC says in a letter to Lemay that it decided "on its own motion" to expand the investigation to include topics around the 911 call, including whether or not there was "improper interference" in investigations conducted by WPS or the OPP.

Ongoing investigation

The OCPC investigation that started in May 2018 involves an alleged assault in 2016 which involves the son of a member of the Windsor Police Services Board.

An off-duty police officer with WPS was allegedly assaulted by two men, one of whom is the son of Tom Clark, who was a member of the police board at the time.

That case was investigated by WPS and the police force did not proceed with charges.

OCPC's probe started last May after there were complaints from multiple members of WPS between January and April of 2018.

In the 911 call from Frederick's home, the police board did not request the Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police to undertake a review of how WPS handled the call until nine days later.

Instead of the OCPC, Special Investigations Unit or the Office of the Independent Police Review Director, the Windsor Police Services Board chose the OPP to investigate.

Lemay thinks the board shouldn't have waited to act.

"You sat there and you did nothing, and you waited, and now on the ninth day you act? Something doesn't sound right there," he said.

The OCPCsays itwill not comment on specifics of the investigation as it is ongoing.