In an unusual move -- and part of an ongoing attempt to defend police actions at the G20 -- Chief Bill Blair has lashed out at the provincial Special Investigations Unit, citing "serious questions" about the agency's probe into excessive use of force at the summit.
Chief Blair's criticisms come several days after the SIU announced it would not lay criminal charges in a handful of cases where police allegedly injured civilians during G20 protests in June.
The SIU detailed two apparent instances of excessive force, but could not identify any of the officers involved.
"I am disappointed that the SIU changed, fundamentally, the way they normally carry out their job in this investigation," Chief Blair said in a scathing news release issued Monday afternoon.
"Their job is very straightforward. Their mandate is to determine whether or not there is evidence to lay criminal charges, not to engage in speculation and guesswork."
Chief Blair took specific issue with the SIU's analysis of the case of 27-year-old Adam Nobody. Apprehended by riot officers during a demonstration at Queen's Park, Mr. Nobody sustained a fracture below his eye, in what SIU director Ian Scott deemed a "probable excessive use of force."
Mr. Scott directed the public toward a YouTube video of the incident, titled "Toronto G20, Peaceful Protestor Tackled and Roughed Up."
In the footage, Mr. Nobody is seen running from a group of uniformed officers who ultimately tackle him. One officer punches him several times in the upper body or head, but with all officers dressed in identical clothing and wearing helmets, the SIU could not pinpoint the perpetrator.
Chief Blair blasted the SIU's decision to cite the YouTube footage, suggesting the video provides an incomplete picture of events surrounding Mr. Nobody's arrest. The footage was forensically examined during the weekend after the SIU's announcement, he said.
"It is absolutely clear it has been tampered with," Chief Blair said. "It has been edited. Audio and video have been removed... It is very likely that what has been removed sheds light on why the man was arrested, and why force was used."
The SIU's reliance on such a video as corroboration of allegations against police "raises serious questions about the quality of their investigation," Chief Blair noted.
Frank Phillips, a spokesman for the SIU, said Mr. Scott would not comment on the chief's statement until receiving "further material information" from Toronto police in regard to the video.
Mr. Phillips pointed out, however, that the agency referred to a variety of material in coming to its conclusions.
"There were other officers interviewed, and there were a number of other documents retrieved and used during the investigation," Mr. Phillips said, noting the case could yet be reopened "if there's new information."
Toronto police spokesman Mark Pugash called the SIU's conclusions a "marked departure" in how the agency, which typically issues terse news releases to either lay charges or not, is doing its job.
"For some reason, they seem to have gone beyond [their mandate] into speculating and guessing about some of the incidents where they had already concluded they didn't have the evidence to lay criminal charges... There are things in here that I've never seen in an SIU news release," Mr. Pugash said.
Police are looking to track down the person who posted the video of Mr. Nobody, he said, and if further investigation reveals wrongdoing, "we will hold our people accountable."
Scot Wortley, an expert in criminal justice and police use of force at the University of Toronto, said both the initial SIU news release and the critical response by Chief Blair are unusual.
The SIU, which has been blasted in recent days as largely ineffectual, may have consequently felt the need to point out apparent wrongdoing despite the lack of criminal charges, he said.
"It in some ways could be viewed as a political statement ... so the chief has fired back with his own political statement," Mr. Wortley said.
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