Police Services

Local Response

Anyone permitted to make a complaint to LECA, may first raise their concerns respecting the conduct of a police officer, to the respective police service to be addressed through a Local Response.

Local Response is a process for dealing with concerns from members of the public informally.

The process is defined under Rule 7 of the LECA Rules of Procedure.

The concern raised by a member of the public may be dealt with at the police station by an officer in authority who is designated by the police chief. Local Response allows the police to solve, explain, clear up or settle a concern directly with a member of the public. Where a matter has been resolved by Local Response it is not considered to be a complaint. Police services must tell members of the public about LECA, and members of the public must voluntarily agree to participate in Local Response and be given the option to file a formal complaint with LECA.

The member of the public must be prepared to:

  • Provide their full name, address, telephone number and date of birth
  • Tell the police what happened
  • Explain what they feel would be an appropriate resolution
  • Agree to the final resolution and sign a form indicating that their concern has been resolved in a satisfactory manner

The police are required to:

  • Listen to the member of the public’s concerns
  • Explain what action can be taken
  • Explain what cannot be done during the process so that the member of the public understands the limitations
  • Confirm the process with the member of the public, including who will deal with the complaint and what the resolution will be
  • Complete and sign the required forms and forward them to the LECA
  • Provide the complainant with copies of all forms

Discussions that occur as part of an unsuccessful local response will not form part of any investigation or investigative record or any other proceedings. The local response discussions shall not be recorded without the written consent of all parties.

The issue must be resolved within 15 days of the initial concern. If the police are unable to resolve the matter within 15 days, they may request an extension from LECA. If it is still unresolved after the extended time, it must be forwarded to LECA to be dealt with as a formal complaint or be sent to LECA as a notification, when appropriate.

When LECA receives all the Local Response forms and the agreed-to resolution has been carried out, the matter is considered resolved and closed.

The completion of a local response does not bar the member of the public from filing a complaint with LECA. If a member of the public files a complaint with LECA under Part X after it was the subject of a local response, the Complaints Director will screen the complaint pursuant to the Act. In reviewing the complaint, the Complaints Director may consider whether:

  1. the issues raised in the complaint have been reasonably dealt with through the local response process;
  2. the member of the public was at any time misled with respect to material facts or subjected to intimidation or coercion in relation to the local complaint;
  3. the chief of police or his or her delegate did not carry out one or more of his or her duties under this part;
  4. the signed local response summary was not provided to the Complaints Director.

For additional information, please review the Local Response Summary FAQ.

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