No charges after Manitoba police watchdog investigates Dakota Ojibway police officer

An officer with a First Nations police force in Manitoba will not be charged after allegations of a series ofinappropriate incidents at work led to an investigation by the Independent Investigation Unit.

The civilian director of the independent unit, which investigates serious incidents involving police in Manitoba, released his final report into the investigation of an officer with the Dakota Ojibway Police Service on Wednesday.

• Manitoba police watchdog investigating First Nation police officer

In the report, Zane Tessler said the investigation did not findthe necessary grounds or evidence to support criminal charges.He said the "workplace complaints" fell outside the mandate of the investigative unit.

"In my view, the circumstances and information that have been disclosed, obtained and reviewed, throughout the course of this investigation, are matters that fall entirely within the scope and purview of employment and human resources-related concerns and the Human Rights Commission," Tessler wrote.

The police service contacted IIU last September after the allegations involving the officer and his interactions with staff surfaced. Tessler said it was in the public interest for the IIU to investigate the complaints and aninvestigation began in October.

The Dakota OjibwayPolice Service provides policing services to several southern Manitoba First Nations communities.