2018 4th Qtr

Citizen Complaints against Officers
2018 4th Quarter

All citizen complaints against officers are documented and investigated by the department’s supervisors. Once the investigation is complete, it is reviewed by the Section Commander, Division Commander and then forwarded to the Office of the Chief where the decision is made as to the finding of the complaint. Complaints questioning the basis for a citation or arrest are not documented and those complainants are advised to go through the court system.

There are four different categories of complaint findings:

• Sustained - The investigation produced a preponderance of evidence to prove the allegation did in fact occur and the action of the officer was improper.
• Not Sustained - The investigation failed to produce a preponderance of evidence to either prove or disprove the allegation.
• Exonerated - The allegation in fact did occur but the actions of the officer were legal, justified, proper, and in accordance with the law and the department’s policies and procedures.
• Unfounded - The allegation in fact did not occur, based on the evidence.

During this quarter, there were nine citizen’s complaints against officers. The findings for these complaints are as follows:

Sustained - 1
Not Sustained - 2
Exonerated - 0
Unfounded - 6
Pending - 0

The following is a summary of each of those complaints:

1) On 10-14-2018, a citizen complained that he had some property damaged during his arrest. After reviewing the video and speaking with the people involved, the complaint was sustained.
2) On 10-31-2018, a citizen complained that an officer did not take a report when they called about a theft. After reviewing the video and speaking with the involved citizens and officer, the complaint was not sustained.
3) On 11-1-2018, a citizen complained that officers caused injuries and used excessive force during her arrest. After reviewing the video and speaking to the officers involved, it was evident that the officers did not cause the citizen’s injuries and they used only the force necessary to arrest her. The complaint was unfounded.
4) On 11-13-2018, a citizen complained that an officer was rude and physically restrained her unnecessarily. After interviewing a witness, the complaint was not sustained.
5) On 11-16-2018, a citizen complained that officers injured her during her arrest. After reviewing the videos and speaking with witnesses, the complaint was unfounded. The officer used the force necessary to control and arrest the citizen who resisted their efforts.
6) On 12-2-2018, a citizen complained that handcuffs were applied too tightly and injured her during her arrest. After reviewing the videos and speaking with witnesses, the complaint was unfounded.
7) On 12-7-2018, a citizen complained that he sustained an injury during his arrest. After reviewing the videos and speaking with people involved, the complaint was unfounded.
8) On 12-24-2018, a citizen complained that officers caused injuries and used excessive force during his arrest. After reviewing the video, speaking with the officers involved and with witnesses, it was evident that the officers did not cause the citizen’s injuries. They used only the force necessary to arrest him and the complaint was unfounded.
9) On 12-30-2018, a citizen complained that handcuffs were applied too tightly and injured her during her arrest. After reviewing the videos, photographs and speaking with officers, the complaint was unfounded.