Obstructing a Peace Officer Lawyers in Toronto

Obstructing a peace officer is the act of interfering with a peace officer or public officer during the lawful execution of their duties. This can be done in any number of ways with any number of acts, including providing a fake name to police, hiding evidence at a crime scene, or disobeying an order.

The relevant provisions for obstructing a peace officer in the Criminal Code of Canada are:

In the Criminal Code, peace officers and public officers are widely defined, and include:

• Toronto police officers
• RCMP
• Canadian Forces officers
• Customs officers
• Mayors
• Pilots
• Bailiffs
• Wardens, and more.

When addressing obstructing a peace officer, the Crown Prosecutor is required to prove beyond a reasonable doubt each of the following elements:

• You obstructed a peace or public officer;
• The officer was engaged in the lawful execution of duty when obstructed;
• The obstruction impacted the officer’s ability to perform their duty;
• You knew they were an officer engaged in a lawful duty; and
• The obstruction was wilful.

The word “obstructs” has been found to require more than just passive interference. Instead, an active action that hinders the officer engaged in their duty is usually required. For example, providing a false name to an officer would be an active action while remaining silent may be insufficient.

The word “duty” is equally wide in the case law, but must be a lawful duty, and typically involves an active investigation. For example, it would not be obstruction if an officer had no warrant to enter a property and you asked them to leave, refusing to answer questions.

Another common variation of this offence is Resisting Arrest or, if the obstruction included an assault, Assaulting a Peace Officer.

Investigation of Obstructing a Peace Officer Charges in Toronto

An investigation of an alleged obstructing a peace officer charge in Toronto is typically initiated by the peace officer alleged to have been obstructed. Because peace officers and public officers are often vested with powers authorizing arrest, a charge can flow directly from the alleged obstruction and may rely solely on the statement of the officer.

Obstruction involves an interference with an officer performing a lawful duty, therefore police typically take such matters seriously and will investigate the incident fully. This may include interviewing all witnesses, reviewing any video surveillance, seizing any evidence involved, photographing the scene, and obtaining medical records, if relevant.

After the police have gathered their evidence, they will arrest you if they believe you are the perpetrator. If you are not present at the scene, police will track you down or issue a warrant for your arrest.

After you have been charged, police will provide a package with all the evidence they collected, known as the “disclosure package,” to the Crown Prosecutor. You will have the right to access this disclosure package to see the evidence against you. Once you retain one of our lawyers, we will assist you in obtaining the disclosure package, and we will review it with you to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the Crown’s case, as well as any legal defences that may be available to you.

Bail Process and Conditions for Obstructing a Peace Officer Charges in Toronto

How do I get myself or a loved one out on bail for obstructing a peace officer charges in Toronto?

If you have been charged with obstructing a peace officer, it is not uncommon for police to release you at the scene on a release order. Police will provide you with a Promise to Appear document outlining your charges, and any required appearances you must make. This document may also include conditions that you are required to follow while on release.

However, a formal bail hearing may be required to secure your release, particularly if you have a criminal record, or if the allegations are more serious.

In order to conduct a bail hearing, you will be taken to the Toronto Police Service Division that is responsible for the alleged crime. The bail hearing must be held within 24 hours. Note that the 24-hour period starts from the moment of arrest or detention rather than the time when you are brought to the Division.

The phone number for each division is 416-808-[Division Number – 00], so for example, the number for 52 Division is 416-808-5200. The addresses for each division of the Toronto Police Service can be found here.

Penalties for Obstructing a Peace Officer Charges in Toronto

In cases of obstructing a peace officer charges, the likelihood of going to jail if convicted is relatively low.

However, the risk of jail time increases dramatically where:

• The obstruction is a significant impairment to an officer’s lawful duty;
• The obstruction was done for the benefit of a criminal organization; or
• You have prior convictions.

The potential penalties can range anywhere from a discharge (i.e. a finding of guilt, but no criminal conviction), to a fine and/or probation, to a period of jail time.

The Criminal Code of Canada outlines the maximum allowable punishment for obstructing a peace officer:

• Up to two years in jail;
• Up to three years of probation;
• A fine of several thousand dollars; and
• A ban from owning or possessing any weapons or firearms for up to 10 years.

The potential sentences available to you will depend on a variety of factors, including the type and degree of obstruction, your criminal history, and other applicable personal factors.

In addition to the immediate penalties resulting from a conviction for obstructing a peace officer, it can have wide-ranging negative consequences on your future. You may have trouble finding employment, especially in roles that require working with children, the elderly, or other vulnerable sectors of society. The lifelong criminal record that results from a conviction can also cause problems with immigration and travel.

Therefore, even if you intend on accepting responsibility for this type of offence, it is worthwhile to explore your options and consider all the potential penalties. Often, good representation can result in no criminal record. Furthermore, a community-based sentence may be obtained even where the Crown is seeking jail time.

Rest assured, our lawyers will work hard to defend you so that you are not saddled with the consequences that stem from an obstructing a peace officer conviction. In fact, we can canvass a range of sentencing options with the Prosecutors that will either leave you with no criminal record or impose minimal restrictions on your liberty after sentencing. To learn more about potential non-criminal resolutions, please visit our Resolutions page, or read our FAQ on resolutions and other sentencing options.

Defending Obstructing a Peace Officer Charges in Toronto

What are the best defences to obstructing a peace officer charges in Toronto?

In obstructing a peace officer cases, the defences that may be available to you depend on the facts of your case.

In general, the best defences are:

• Factual Innocence: This is usually the strongest defence because the facts and the evidence do not support you being there, obstructing an officer, or other basic elements of the offence. This could include:
  • No mental intent: A common defence available in obstructing a peace officer cases is that you did not intend to obstruct the officer. A basic example would be if you unintentionally provided false information to an investigating officer, thinking it was true.
  • “Mistake of Fact”: A conviction for obstructing a peace officer must rest on the fact that you knew it was a peace or public officer that you were obstructing. If the complainant was not in uniform or did not identify themselves as an officer, the requisite knowledge would be absent. For example, you could not be convicted of obstructing an officer working undercover if they did not identify themselves as such.
  • Identity: In some circumstances where the offence was not recorded by surveillance footage, or the footage is poor quality, you may be able to raise an identity defence. For example, authorities could have made a mistake in identifying you as the perpetrator based on the poor quality of the footage. In order to effectively raise this defence, you may need corroborative evidence, such as an alibi to where you were at the time of the offence.
• Violation of constitutional rights: The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms sets out your rights before and after your arrest. If the police fail to abide by these rights, it could aid in your defence.
• “Unlawful Exercise of Duty”: This defence may arise if an officer is not acting in the lawful execution of duty. If an officer is overstepping their authority or unreasonably acting beyond their scope of duty, you are not legally required to obey their commands. For example, if an officer does not advise you of the reason for making an arrest, it is an unlawful arrest, and you would not be convicted for being uncooperative.

The Crown is required to prove that you not only obstructed an officer engaged in a lawful duty, but that you intended to obstruct them. While the Crown must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you committed the offence, you may bear some responsibility in raising certain defences at trial.

The availability and strength of any defence depends entirely on the specific facts of your case. Our lawyers have significant experience assessing the availability and strengths of various potential defences in obstructing a peace officer cases, as well as presenting any and all available defences to the Court at trial. Even if you believe that you will be found guilty, it is important that you obtain a legal opinion about defences that may be available to you.

How can I help defend obstructing a peace officer charges in Toronto?

If you have been charged with obstructing a peace officer in Toronto, the following can help your lawyer build a strong defence:

• Provide your lawyer with a statement about what happened;
• Collect and maintain all documents and records about the event;
• Gather a list of witnesses that may support your version of events; and
• Log any relevant texts, emails, phone calls or photographic evidence.

What information is relevant will depend on the facts in your case. As soon as you are released on bail, you should start to gather any information that may be of use to your lawyer. If you are uncertain what information may be relevant, you should contact one of our lawyers immediately to create a plan of action for gathering information.

If you are truly proactive about the matter, consider doing the following:

• Secure proof of employment;
• Secure reference letters;
• Enroll in counselling (anger management/substance abuse/parenting);
• Secure a record of prescriptions; and
• Secure a record of any mental health conditions you suffer from.

These steps can be very helpful for building an effective defence (or convincing the Prosecutor to drop the charges altogether).

What can a lawyer do to help me defend against obstructing a peace officer charges in Toronto?

As we start preparing your defence by examining police actions and the evidence against you, there are certain defence strategies that can be used to aid your cause, including:

• Assembling documents, photographs, texts, etc. that contradict the allegation and support your defence;
• Gathering evidence from witnesses that support your version of events;
• Identifying mistakes in the actions of the police, such as Charter breaches;
• Uncovering administrative/systemic errors, such as “Jordan delay,” non-disclosure, lost or destroyed evidence, etc.; and
• Finding weaknesses or “holes” in the Crown’s case that may make it difficult or impossible for them to establish the elements of the offence.

Further Reading

Below are some notable cases dealing with various aspects of obstruction charges:

In R v Johnson, (1985) 47 C.C.C. (3d) 380, the accused was pulled over for speeding and provided the officer with a false name. In convicting the accused, the Court clarified there is a difference between remaining silent and deliberately lying to an officer when legally detained.

In Knowlton v R, [1974] SCR 43, the accused was arrested after pushing through a police line established for security reasons during USSR Premier Kosygin’s visit to Edmonton. This act of disobeying the security line lawfully established by the police obstructed their ability to control the crowd. The accused was convicted of obstructing an officer.

In R v Hnatiuk, [1937] 1 W.W.R. 666, the accused was suspected of running an illegal distillery and a search warrant was granted to search his home. When the police arrived, the accused threw a bottle of unknown liquid to the floor, breaking it and thwarting the police’s ability to seize evidence. He was convicted of obstruction for hindering the officers in the course of their duty.

In R v Prince, (1981) 61 C.C.C. (2d) 73 (MNPC), the accused was arrested and charged with obstruction after interfering in the arrest of his brother. The court acquitted, stating that because the brother’s arrest was warrantless and unjustified, there was no underlying lawful duty being obstructed.

What Next?

Most of the information above relates to simple obstructing a peace officer cases, which can still be complex and fact-specific. Charges that involve a unique type of officer, an omission to act under section 129(b), or obstructing a land or goods seizure under section 129(c) can involve further complexities.

We have tried our best to provide a general outline of what you can expect if you find yourself in this situation. But this is just the tip of the iceberg.

To learn more about how we can help, please contact our team of Obstructing a Peace Officer Lawyers to conduct a thorough review of your situation so that we can tailor a precise strategy that targets your successful defence.