Public Information Release

An AMBER Alert is a provincial emergency broadcast that quickly alerts the public of a suspected child abduction. If an incident meets established criteria, DRPS will request that the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) issue the AMBER Alert. 

It is important to note: an AMBER Alert is not appropriate in every incident of a missing child.

To ensure that the alerts continue to be effective, they must meet the following criteria to be issued: 

• police have confirmed that an abduction has taken place; and
• the victim is a child, or a person of proven physical or mental disability; and
• there is reason to believe the victim is in danger of serious physical injury; and
• there is information available that, if broadcasted to the public, could assist in the safe recovery of the victim.

This is a fairly new way for us to release missing person information. The use of a last name does not aid the public in finding a missing person. A first name for identification along with a photo and description is all that is needed. This decision respects that social media footprints can impact these individuals in the future where no crime has been committed. 

In some situations, such as an Amber Alert and when there is no photo available, the last name will be used. 

A police service is legally permitted to release the name, age and municipality of a person facing charges.  This is public information. We are stating the fact that a charge has been laid. We are not stating guilt or innocence. However, officers have a threshold to meet before affecting an arrest and laying charges. Reasonable grounds must exist. It is then up to the courts to decide innocence or guilt.

There are some instances where names are not used in a release, including youth and when naming the accused may identify a victim. 

Our media releases will be deleted from our website after three months. This allows the names to be takedown as the charges move through the court system. 

Race or other descriptors are included only when required to identify an individual suspect and only when using it as a physical descriptor for identification purposes. Those details, including race, might not be included if there is contradictory information or concerns about accuracy.

The DRPS and our regional school boards take threats seriously. They are actively investigated and appropriate measures are taken. Due to privacy, we are limited to what information we can share.

We only release information about threats when:

-they are either active or under investigation and it is deemed necessary to warn the public.

-when the threat has been neutralized and it was deemed valid. 

Often threats are found to be rumours or without substantive evidence. 

Once an accused is moved into the court system we no longer report on the outcome. Names are released as fact at the time when a charge is laid. Names of accused are taken off of our website after three months as any further reports need to be obtained through the court system. 

Our website is the main source of information for the community. When we post on social media we link back to the website, which automatically drops a release after three months. 

The reason is simple: there is a victim who would be identified in this situation if we named the accused. Protecting the identity of a victim of crime is of the utmost importance.

There are times when an investigation does not require the name of the deceased to be released. At this time, we consult with the next of kin and family. If they request a name not be released by police, that is taken into consideration.   

This type of information is shared on our website. For more information about charges pending or recent decisions, please visit

https://www.drps.ca/about-us/public-complaints-and-oversight/

The SIU is a civilian law enforcement agency in Ontario that has jurisdiction over municipal, regional and provincial police officers.