Students get visit from OIPRD

By Michelle Laramie

Students at the St. Clair College MediaPlex downtown campus recently had an opportunity to learn about the process of filing complaints against police in Ontario.

Amy Sharaf presented to the students in the MediaPlex. Sharaf is the outreach and education advisor for the Office of Independent Police Review Director. Her presentation talked about the important role OIPRD has in the community and the media.

OIPRD is an independent agency overseen by civilians, designed to ensure all public complaints against the police are dealt with in a transparent and fair way. They receive, manage and oversee all complaints about police across Ontario.

The presentation walked students through the step by step process of how to make a complaint, gave them an understanding of who does the investigation and what happens when it is complete. It also included a comprehensive slide show and roleplaying scenarios to help students better understand how things work.

The OIPRD will investigate substantiated complaints about sworn police officers in the province. This includes municipal and regional police services and the Ontario Provincial Police.​ Complaints can be about the conduct of an officer or the policies and services of a specific police service. They can be made on someone else’s behalf but anonymous complaints are not accepted. The OIPRD receives about 3,000 complaints against police in Ontario each year.

“I think it is important to increase awareness to our office,” said Sharaf. “It is great for any member of the public, especially journalism students.”

The presentation offered students not only an in-depth view of their civilian rights when dealing with the police but also gave them a tool to use when investigating and reporting throughout their career.

Kyle Rose, a first-year journalism student, found the presentation informative.

“It is good information to have when interviewing people to understand the parameters so I don’t breach anyone’s privacy,” said Rose “I will definitely be using the website in the future for research in my career.”

All findings from any investigation are available to the public and posted on their website at www.oiprd.on.ca.