2020 1st Qtr

Citizen Complaints against Officers
2020 1st 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 two citizen’s complaints against officers. The findings for these complaints are as follows:

  1. On 1/16/2020, a citizen complained about an excessive use of force by officers in her arrest.  An investigation was conducted and this showed that the officers utilized the proper amount of force to arrest the complainant who was resisting their attempts to arrest.   The investigation into the complaint showed that there was no excessive use of force and the officers did their job as they were trained.  The complaint was unfounded.
  2. On 1/19/2020, a citizen complained about an excessive use of force by officers in her arrest.  She claimed she was thrown to the ground.  An investigation was conducted and this showed that the officers did not throw the complainant to the ground in spite of her active resistance.  The investigation showed that there was no excessive amount of force and the officers did their job as they were trained.  The complaint was unfounded.
  3. On 2/27/2020, a citizen complained that officers had violated his rights by allowing a person into his apartment without permission.  An investigation was conducted and this showed that the party was allowed into the apartment by a relative of the complainant who was inside.  The officers did not violate the complainant’s rights and the complaint was unfounded.
  4. On 3/4/2020, a citizen called to complain about officer response times to a lower priority call for service.  An investigation into the complaint was conducted and it showed an eleven-minute response time from the time of dispatch to officer arrival.  This is not an excessive amount of time for a non-emergency response and the complaint was unfounded. 
  5. On 3/8/2020, a citizen was arrested and transported to jail in handcuffs.  Once at the jail the citizen complained the handcuffs were too tightly applied.  An investigation into this complaint was conducted.  The Sergeant conducting the investigation discovered that the citizen complained after being handcuffed and the officers immediately checked the fit and ensured the handcuffs were double-locked.  They could fit a finger between the handcuffs and the wrist of the complainant.  Jail staff also checked the fit and advised they were properly applied when the citizen was brought in.  The citizen had no injury and only slight redness consistent with the wearing of handcuffs.  This complaint was unfounded.
  6. On 3/9/2020, a citizen called to complain about officers being on his property and violating his 4th Amendment rights.  An investigation was conducted into the reason for the officer’s presence and the legality of it.  The officers were responding to investigate a complaint filed about a stolen vehicle.  The investigation showed they did not violate the citizen’s 4th Amendment rights and the complaint was unfounded.
  7. On 3/17/2020, a citizen’s mother filed a complaint about how officers dealt with her son.  She had called police because he was destroying items in her home.  When officers arrived they had to utilize force to respond to the suspect’s resistance.  A supervisor responded to investigate the incident and found that the response to resistance by the officers was appropriate and the least amount necessary to protect themselves and the citizen.  The complaint is unfounded.
  8. On 3/19/2020, a citizen was arrested and transported to jail.  At jail she complained that her handcuffs had been too tight and the officers contacted a Sergeant to investigate the citizen complaint.  The Sergeant’s investigation showed that the handcuffs were not too tight and had been able to slide up the defendant’s arm as she squirmed around.  The complaint was unfounded.
  9. On 3/20/2020, a citizen filed a complaint that officers had lied to him and unlawfully removed him from his home.  An investigation was opened into the incident and it was discovered that officers did not lie and that the citizen had voluntarily vacated this residence prior to this call for service.  This complaint was unfounded.
  10. On 3/27/2020, a citizen filed a complaint that officers used excessive force with him and didn’t not provide him with any trespassing paperwork.  An investigation was conducted and it was discovered that force was not used on the citizen and that he had refused to accept the trespassing paperwork from officers.  This complaint was unfounded.