Who can make a complaint?
Any citizen or University employee may make a complaint. Normally, the individual, who has been affected by the employee's conduct should be the person to complain. The exception would be a parent filing a complaint for a minor child or other similar situations.

In what form should the complaints be made?
Initial complaints may be made in person, in writing, or by telephone. However, every attempt shall be made by the department to have the complainant reduce the complaint to writing and have it signed under oath. Complaints should concisely and specifically describe the conduct of the employee that was found to be improper. Rather than say the employee was unprofessional or rude, by providing the specific words or phrases, describing the employee's tone of voice, or citing specific acts of unprofessionalism. Identify the employee as much as possible. This can be accomplished by providing the employee's name, and/or badge number, patrol vehicle number, and the date, time and location of the incident. If available, include the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of all witnesses.

To whom should the complaints be made?
All Department employees are required to accept complaints, if no supervisor is immediately available to do so. Most complaints are directed to the supervisor on duty, or to the appropriate Unit Commander.

When may complaints be made?
Complaints may be made at any time. Normal office hours, telephone numbers, and addresses are listed at the end of this document. Additionally, complaints should be made within a reasonable time after the alleged misconduct occurred to help ensure evidence is still available and recollections of the incident are fresh.

About what things can a complaint be made, or concern expressed?
The complaint resolution process was established to identify alleged unprofessional or misconduct by Police Department employees. This encompasses violations of laws or Police Department rules and regulations. A disagreement with a policy or law, or the application of a policy or law is not considered a complaint, and will normally be referred to the Commander most directly involved with the policy or law in question for response and/or resolution.

Other than those complaints, which are immediately resolved, every complaint of misconduct by an employee will be investigated.

Upon receipt of a complaint, the Director will send the complainant a letter acknowledging receipt of the complaint. An investigator will be assigned and the investigator may conduct a preliminary inquiry by telephone, mail or in person to clarify specific issues.

Complaints of a routine nature will generally be assigned to the employee's supervisor. More serious or complex matters will normally be investigated by a Unit Commander.

The Investigators will attempt to contact the complainant, the accused employee, and witnesses; examine physical evidence; review reports and records; and thoroughly document the facts surrounding the incident.

The Investigator's report will be submitted to Director/Chief of Police upon completion.

Disciplinary action will be initiated when appropriate. In some cases, counseling may be recommended.

How does making a complaint affect present or future charges against me?
Any criminal charges or legal issues must be decided by the appropriate court. The investigation of your complaint will focus on the employee's conduct, not on any pending charges against the complainant.

Can I make an anonymous complaint?
Supervisors are assigned to conduct an inquiry, when an anonymous complaint is received, to determine if any basis exists for the complaint; however, inquiries are less likely to reveal all the facts surrounding an alleged incident, when the investigator is deprived of the opportunity to contact the complainant.

We strongly encourage persons having legitimate concerns to sign the complaint form and fully cooperate with the Investigating Officer.*

Note: *The penalty for making a false statement is a $500 fine or imprisonment not exceeding 60 days
Citizen Complaint/Concern Form (3 pages)