Stratford officer 'fell short' in duty of deceased toddler, but did not commit criminal offence: SIU

The headquarters for the Special Investigations Unit is seen here.

The SIU has determined that a while Stratford, Ont. police officer did not commit a criminal offence in relation to a child who died last year, the officer “fell short” in his duty of care towards the 18-month-old boy.

According to a report issued by the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), on the morning of Feb. 16, 2021, first responders were sent to an address on Downie Street in Stratford.

As CTV News London reported in February 2021, upon arriving at the residence, first responders discovered an 18-month-old boy in medical distress.

CPR was performed and the child was taken to hospital, where he was later pronounced deceased.

Several weeks earlier, Stratford police had information that raised concerns relating to the child’s welfare, and “Because of that information, the question arose whether the police could have intervened to prevent his death in the days before he passed away,” the report says.

An investigation launched shortly after with that question in mind.

In his determination, Director of the SIU Joseph Martino “has found no reasonable grounds to believe that a Stratford Police Service (SPS) officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the tragic death of an 18-month-old boy in February of 2021.”

Martino did determine however that the officer did fall short in his duty of care towards the child.

The SIU is an independent authority responsible for investigating the conduct of officials, such as police, that resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault, or the discharge of a weapon at another person.