Second Week of Staff Sgt. Michael Dimini’s Trial: A Glimpse Into Thunder Bay Police Culture of Impunity

By Justin Heath

As the second week of the criminal trial for Staff Sgt. Michael Dimini comes to a close, it’s hard not to see a familiar pattern—allegations of police misconduct met with silence, internal absolution, and a defence strategy built not on exoneration, but on technicality and rank privilege.

Dimini, a senior officer with the Thunder Bay Police Service (TBPS), is facing charges of obstructing justice and breach of trust. And what’s become increasingly clear in court is that this case isn’t just about a single incident—it’s about the systemic ability of law enforcement to rewrite their own narratives, often quite literally.

Editing the Truth: A Sergeant’s Version of Events

On November 24, 2020, police, including Dimini, entered an apartment on West Frederica Street during a suspiciously thin investigation into a reportedly stolen television. The report initially authored by Const. Kerry Dunning described what appeared to be a warrantless entry—illegal under both the Charter and common law.

But that didn’t sit well with senior command. Five days after the fact—and after the original report had been locked—Dimini quietly accessed the system and changed the story. He inserted a justification: they were allegedly entering to arrest a man named Derek Turner, who they claim had a warrant and was seen carrying the TV.

Let that sink in: a senior officer used his rank to override the system and backfill a legal excuse for an entry that had already occurred. And because he's a sergeant, the software let him do it. Constables can't alter locked reports—but sergeants and records staff can. That’s not a loophole. That’s a design feature.

Courtroom Choreography: Evidence Without Accountability

In court this week, the Crown closed its case by presenting an agreed statement of facts. Dimini’s defence? Not a word. No testimony, no alternative version of events—just a strategic retreat into silence. This isn’t a robust denial of wrongdoing. It’s a bet that the system will protect one of its own, as it often has in Thunder Bay.

The defence team appears content to rely on the internal Professional Standards investigation, which—shockingly—found no grounds for disciplinary action. That internal review was led by another TBPS officer, Sgt. Gordon Snyder. No one independent. No transparency. Just the fox guarding the henhouse.

The court will reconvene July 7 to schedule closing arguments. Until then, we’re left with one clear fact: a senior police officer altered a colleague’s report after it had been finalized, without notifying the original author or any oversight body.

A Pattern, Not an Exception

This isn’t an isolated case. The Thunder Bay Police Service has a long and documented history of systemic racism, misconduct, and internal cover-ups. From the botched handling of Indigenous death investigations to previous scandals involving senior leadership, TBPS is an institution repeatedly caught investigating itself and declaring itself innocent.

What we’re seeing in the Dimini trial is more of the same: a culture where power protects itself, and facts are flexible—as long as you wear a badge.

What’s Really on Trial

While Dimini is the one in the defendant’s seat, it’s the credibility of the entire Thunder Bay Police Service that’s under the microscope. If an officer can rewrite history after the fact—and face no internal discipline—then what good are report systems, oversight structures, or even laws meant to constrain abuse?

This case isn’t just about an unlawful entry. It’s about the privilege of rank, the ease of manipulation, and the silence of a system built to protect itself first and the public second.

Verdict or not, the people of Thunder Bay should be asking: if this is what happens when they get caught, what else is happening behind the scenes?

Justin Heath

Justin Heath is a  freelance writer for Veritas Expositae

You can reach him at justin.heath@veritasexpositae.com