Norfolk OPP detachment eyes reduced overtime

Luke Edwards

Grant Haven Media

A new early resolution model will allow police officers to spend less time in court and more time in the community, a sergeant with the OPP told Norfolk councillors recently.

Sgt. Michael Kocmarekt said the new model should reduce the number of cases that go to trial, which can be time consuming for police officers, witnesses and other members of the case, which can clog up a court system that’s already stretched thin.

“This process can allow for negotiated resolutions while preserving the individual’s right to proceed to trial if they are not satisfied with the outcome,” Kocmarek said at the Sept. 9 council-in-committee meeting.

“In short, early resolution promotes efficiency while maintaining fairness and preserving the rights of all the parties involved.”

The early resolution (ER) process allows defendants who have been charged with a Provincial Offences Act Part 1 offence a chance to have a meeting with a prosecutor to negotiate a resolution to the charge without requiring a full trial. 

Kocmarek said the meeting is typically a short, 10-minute call with a POA prosecutor.

Norfolk previously had an unregulated ER process that it ended in 2023 at the direction of the regional senior justice of the peace. Last year POA staff considered reinstating it, but a review found the process was still lacking.

However, changes to the process coming with Bill 119 has made it more attractive. A staff report outlined a couple of major changes.

The first is that a justice of the peace is no longer required to register a negotiated ER outcome. Instead, a clerk of the court can finalize the outcome.

Likewise, in cases where a defendant doesn’t attend the scheduled ER meeting, a clerk of the court will now be able to process the matter through the “fail to respond” docket.

The report said these changes will significantly reduce the administrative burden.

Staff recommended enacting the new process for Jan. 1, 2028. This will give time both for Bill 119 to get through Queen’s Park and receive royal assent, and also give revenue services staff time to prepare for the new system.

Kocmarek said overtime hours logged by officers in Norfolk have far exceeded neighbouring communities, and it’s in part due to POA court attendance. 

According to their estimates, the OPP detachment paid out nearly $16,000 in overtime costs to officers each of the last two years as a direct result of POA court attendance. 

And with OPP laying more than twice as many charges in the first five months of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025, pressures are only expected to increase.

In total, the OPP bills the County about $570,000 a year in overtime costs.