3 days Ago By Special to the Citizen
In the first three months of 2025, most complaints with Ottawa police conduct are driving-related, according to a new police complaints report. So far this year, 212 conduct-related complaints have been made against police, according to the report, presented to an Ottawa Police Service Board meeting on April 28. Of those complaints, nearly 60 per cent are related to officers’ driving, including motor vehicle collisions, red light camera infractions and photo radar infractions.
While 60 driving-related complaints were deemed unsubstantiated or resulted in no further action, 50 are subject to ongoing investigations, the report says. An additional 11 cases have already resulted in disciplinary action without hearings. The number of internal complaints for red light camera infractions has almost doubled, to 23 between January and March of this year, up from 12 complaints in the same period last year.
Internal complaints related to motor vehicle collisions also increased slightly, up to 29 from 25 a year earlier. But internal complaints related to automated speed enforcement cameras decreased in the first three months of 2025 compared to that period last year, down to 69 from 75. The report attributes the increases in driving-related internal complaints to the implementation of more photo radar cameras around the city.
Because of this increase, the Ottawa Police Service has created a separate category to capture statistics for driving-related conduct complaints in its reports. The report adds that there have been overall increases in both public and internal complaints against police officers’ conduct, policies or services from this period last year. There were 89 public complaints in the first three months of 2025, up eight per cent from the 82 complaints during that period last year.
There have also been 125 internal complaints so far this year, up seven per cent from this time in 2024. The overall number of complaints is still below the five-year average of 247 in the first three months of the year. However, the report says interpreting these comparisons should be done “cautiously,” as complaint numbers from before and after April 1, 2024 “cannot be directly compared” due to legislation changes that have modified how complaints are categorized and counted.
Beyond conduct-related complaints, the OPS received two service-related complaints in the first three months of 2025, one of which is still under investigation. The other complaint was related to allegations of an inadequate response time from the police in providing a welfare check to an individual who was later found dead. The report says the subsequent investigation found the case was properly prioritized, though the response “exceeded target times due to high call volume, limited staffing, resource-intensive incidents and other factors beyond the control of the Communications Center.
” In July 2024, a new call type was implemented to enhance “the ability to assess the severity of wellness check calls” and improve response times, the report says. The report adds that no officers were suspended in the first three months of the year, compared to two suspensions during that period last year. There are three ongoing investigations by the Special Investigations Unit oversight body, the same number as there were during this period in 2024, the report says.
“The OPS Professional Standards Unit strives to uphold the highest standards of conduct and accountability for its members,” the report says. “This commitment reinforces public trust and ensures that integrity remains at the core of policing.” RelatedParents pressure OC Transpo into reversing route changesSenators fans embrace the moment with team in do-or-die mode.
