Ron MacDonald, the first and, so far, only director of Nova Scotia’s police watchdog says he’s proud of the team that he’s built and is confident that it can continue to do its important work without him.
MacDonald, who is set to retire Oct. 23, 2017 says that the Special Incident Response Team (SiRT), the team that independently investigates all serious incidents which arise from the actions of police in Nova Scotia, has become an important piece of the justice system in the province during the first six years of its existence.
“Every organization needs to grow and change and improve, and we’ve been doing that and I know it will continue,” said MacDonald. “If I’ve done nothing else well, I’ve hired great people to work in SiRT as investigators and they’ll continue to do that work and that will hold SiRT in really good stead.”
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Formed around a core team of six people; MacDonald, four investigators and a full-time assistant, SiRT has remained small and tight-knit.
MacDonald says that during his tenure, the organization has become better at investigating and are thorough in their work. Their organization has even been called in to assist with investigations with other provinces.
“Our goal is not only to investigate whether a criminal charge could be laid but to go beyond that so we can assure the public that a police officer should or should not be charged,” he said.
“You don’t make decisions based on what someone wants it to be or even what you want it to be. You make decisions on what the facts and law lead you to.”
The director described his work as hands-on, with it being quite common to see MacDonald’s tall frame at crime scenes or incidents where the organization was sure to be involved.
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The future of SiRT
Recent discussions between the Atlantic provinces have pointed to the possibility of an organization like SiRT but with the mandate to investigate incidents through the region.
MacDonald says those are far above his pay grade but it’s something that he never imagined when he started six years ago.
“I had to start from scratch… when (SiRT) started we were the third team, there are now six across the country. I think that it’s something that will continue right across the country, ” he said.
“I think that is something that ought to be explored and has benefits for all four provinces.”
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As MacDonald prepares to leave, he says he likes to view SiRT not as a police watchdog but as a public interest watchdog.
“We want to conduct an investigation to ensure the public has all the facts, so that if the police acted the way they were supposed to then they’re not the only ones saying that,” he said. “SiRT can often be an ally for public and the police.”
MacDonald is set to accept a new position as chief civilian director of the Independent Investigations Office in British Columbia.
He says his goal is to make the British Columbia public trust that organization as much as Nova Scotians trust SiRT.
Since it began in 2012, SiRT has investigated more than 120 cases.
The Department of Justice has said the process to hire MacDonald’s replacement will begin immediately.