A sweeping review of police oversight in the province is recommending far greater transparency from the civilian watchdog that investigates officer-involved deaths, but is not calling for the disclosure of names of police in cases where no charges are laid, the Star has learned.

The Independent Police Oversight Review, led by Ontario Court of Appeal judge Michael Tulloch, is recommending in its report being unveiled Thursday that the current practice of withholding the names of officers cleared by Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) in fatal incidents should remain in place, according to a source briefed on the contents of the report Wednesday.

However, it’s expected that Tulloch will underscore the critical need for far more disclosure of information in such cases, and make pointed recommendations to that effect.

Police officers criminally charged after SIU investigations should continue to be named, the report concludes.

The issue of whether to identify police officers cleared of criminal wrongdoing by the province’s police watchdog was among the most contentious handed to Tulloch and his review team last spring, when the Liberal government commissioned an independent review of police oversight in Ontario.

Tulloch’s report also takes aim at reducing the often-lengthy investigations by the SIU, recommending a 120-day limit be placed on probes whenever possible, according to the source.

The family of Andrew Loku — the man whose 2015 Toronto police shooting death helped spark Tulloch’s review — is hoping to see recommendations aimed at promoting greater information from the SIU in general.

“The bottom line is that we’re expecting better communication between the (SIU) and families of the victims and…more transparency into the process, how these agencies actually work,” Senos Timon, Loku’s uncle, told the Star from his home in Saskatoon Wednesday.

Tulloch’s review was commissioned by the Liberal government last spring, amid growing controversy about police use of force and allegations of secretive practices by Ontario’s police watchdogs, including the SIU.

The review — tasked with “enhancing the transparency and accountability” of Ontario’s three police oversight bodies — was struck after weeks of protest sparked by the SIU’s decision to clear an unnamed Toronto police officer in Loku’s July, 2015 death.

Loku, a 45-year-old mentally ill South Sudanese man and father of five, was shot dead in the hallway of his apartment building. In March, 2016 the SIU ruled the officer’s lethal force was justified because Loku was advancing on police while holding a hammer.

The watchdog did not explain how investigators weighed evidence from an eye witness who said Loku did not pose a threat at the time.

The decision prompted a 15-day camp-out by Black Lives Matter Toronto outside police headquarters. Demonstrators demanded the name of the officer who shot Loku and more information about the incident.

Tulloch's review examines Ontario's three oversight agencies. That includes the SIU, the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (which hears complaints about officer conduct) and, least known of the three, the Ontario Civilian Police Commission (which hears complaints about chiefs and police boards, and appeals of police disciplinary tribunal decisions).

At Queen’s Park Wednesday, Attorney General Yasir Naqvi said he is poring over Tulloch’s 129 recommendations.

“We’re reviewing his report. We will be releasing publicly tomorrow and I will be speaking about what our next steps are going to be,” said Naqvi.

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“It’s a substantive report. He has done a lot of good work based on what we asked him to do and we very much look forward to speaking to it and taking action,” he said.

Naqvi emphasized that the government would not allow Tulloch’s findings to collect dust on a shelf.

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