Media Release

Statement from Hamilton Police Chief Glenn De Caire

For immediate release: August 4, 2011 Hamilton, ON As part of a two-week project, Hamilton Police conducted 18 search warrants in May, 2010. One of the warrants was at an address that proved to be inaccurate. The provinces Special Investigative Unit invoked its mandate and on September 30, 2010, charged a Hamilton Police Officer in relation to this matter. Today, following criminal court proceedings, the judge rendered his decision and we are cognizant of both the ruling and commentary. The Hamilton Police Service accepts and respects the decision of the court. I am aware of the impact this has had on the Karen community, the wider community, and all individuals involved including members of this Service. As an organization, we continue our ongoing work to foster healthy bridge-building between the police and the communities we serve. We have assessed our practices and procedures for entries during search warrants. We have enhanced our Standard Operating Procedures for Warrant Execution. This includes operational plan templates, a Search Warrant Execution form which includes Supervisory review of all warrants and an independent supervisory check of addresses prior to warrant execution. Additionally, officers have received training by a Crown Attorney with expertise on the legal issues surrounding court authorized entries. These changes took place a year ago, and have been utilized in numerous search warrants in 2010 and 2011. The Hamilton Police Service remains committed to an independent review of this incident. As the criminal proceedings have been concluded, the OPP internal investigation will now continue as is required by law. We will await the completion of that investigation.
Hamilton Police Service

For more information, contact: Catherine Martin Corporate Communicator 905-546-4764 cmartin@hamiltonpolice.on.ca Authority: Chief Glenn De Caire Chief of Police

Police Headquarters 155 King William Street P.O. Box 1060 LCD 1 Hamilton, Ontario L8N 4C1 Phone: 905-546-4925 Fax: 905-546-4752 Web: www.hamiltonpolice.on.ca

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