2021 3rd Qtr

Citizen Complaints against Officers 2021 3rd 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 three citizen’s complaints against officers. The findings for these complaints are as follows:

1. On 6/30/21, a citizen filed a complaint of rudeness and discourtesy against an Animal Control Officer. An investigation into the complaint was conducted. A review of the video / audio from the incident showed it was the citizen who was rude and disorderly with officers during the contact and the officers acted in a professional manner. This complaint was unfounded.
2. On 8/29/21, a citizen filed a complaint that an officer left finger marks on a subject he had to physically restrain. The citizen thought the officer used excessive force. An investigation was conducted regarding this claim. The investigation showed that the officer had to restrain a man for seven minutes while waiting for an ambulance, and did so to prevent the subject from harming themselves. The use of force was reasonable. The complaint was unfounded.
3. On 9/22/21, a citizen filed a complaint that an Animal Control Officer stalked him and used excessive force. An investigation into the complaint was conducted. A review of the audio / video from the incident showed that the Animal Control Officer was conducting a legitimate investigation into a violation of city ordinance and not “stalking”. It also showed that there was no excessive force used during the encounter. This complaint was unfounded.