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Fort Collins Police Services strives to maintain our high standards of providing quality professional law enforcement services to the citizens of Fort Collins and encourage your feedback on how we are performing. We often receive comments, both positive and negative, from citizens regarding the conduct of our employees. We like to hear when we perform our jobs well, as well as areas where improvments can be made. Occassionally we fall short of our goal of quality service and when we do, we would like to hear about it.
How do I make a complaint?
How do I make a complaint? When a complaint is made in person, the complainant will be immediately referred to the employee's supervisor or an on-duty supervisor. In the event a supervisor is not immediately available, the employee receiving the complaint will take as much information as possible and advise a supervisor at the earliest moment.
What are the different classifications of complaints? Performance complaints generally involve service dissatisfaction and may involve a citizen's perception about an employee's behavior, a minor violation of agency directives, procedure or practice, or a concern expressed about the way an incident was handled. The employee's direct supervisor is responsible for investigating performance complaints and any applicable discipline. A Level One complaint involves an allegation that, if substantiated, could result in disciplinary action beyond that usually expected in a performance complaint. Allegations of inappropriate tactics, racial profiling, dishonest conduct, and sexual harassment are examples. These allegations can be handled by the employee's direct supervisor or the Internal Affairs supervisor. Upon completion of the investigation, the case is reviewed by the involved employee's chain of command including the Chief of Police. A Level Two complaint is required to be reviewed by the Citizen Review Board and may include allegations of excessive force, a violation of law, civil rights violations, etc. These complaints are normally investigated by Internal Affairs personnel and are reviewed by the involved employee's chain of command including the Chief of Police. Prior to the Chief rendering his/her final decision, the Citizen Review Board will review the case.
What happens when I file a complaint? The investigating supervisor may contact the complainant and witnesses in person or by telephone, and a written statement may be requested. The involved employee(s) will also be interviewed about the incident. The employee's chain of command will review the investigation (Level One and Level Two) to determine whether the employee's conduct violated any agency directives or procedures and to make recommendations. If the complaint requires a review by the Citizen Review Board (CRB), the Chief of Police will render a finding following the CRB review. The complainant will receive written notification of the Chief's finding. Disciplinary or corrective action taken against the employee is confidential and protected by personnel law; it will not be made public. The entire process can take several weeks for a Performance Complaint and up to several months for a Level One or Level Two complaint, to be completed. Additional time is required and allowed by City ordinance if the complaint is reviewed by the CRB. Questions about the complaint process or the status of a case should be referred to Internal Affairs, 970-221-6831.
What do the results of the investigation mean?
"Not involved": The employee was not involved in the incident. "Unfounded": The allegation was false or not factual. "Exonerated": The incident occurred, but the employee's behavior did not violate any Agency rule, regulation, policy, procedure, General Directive or training directive. "Not sustained": There is insufficient evidence to prove or disprove the allegation. "Sustained": The allegation is supported by sufficient evidence establishing that the employee violated one or more Agency rule,regulation, policy, procedure, General Directive, or training directive.
I want to file a complaint on an employee's conduct.
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