FOCUS Police Discipline: Part One, the Complaint Process SUMMARY
The internal affairs function is a three-step process. First, properly handling the complaint. Second, conducting a complete investigation interview. Third, carrying out an effective discipline.
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POLICE DISCIPLINE: PART ONE, THE COMPLAINT PROCESS
INTERNAL AFFAIRS FUNCTION IS A MAJOR PART OF POLICE MANAGEMENT.
When interviewing the complainant, remember to be friendly, courteous, and understanding of his/ her concerns.
tant part of the disciplinary process of any organi- zation. The internal affairs function is simply the investigation of complaints against employees, sworn and non-sworn. Many police departments choose to call the function something other than internal affairs such as professional standards, police integrity unit, etc. Complaints may simply be violation of a policy, procedure, rule or regulation, or can also be criminal. If a citizen’s complaint is within department directives,
T By Joseph Koziol 26 LAW and ORDER I June 2016
no violation exists. Understanding the function of the inter- nal affairs investigations is important for every employee in the organization. There is signifi cant difference between an administrative investigation and a criminal investigation. The majority of internal affairs units spend their time inves-
tigating administrative violations. Some larger departments create within the internal affairs function two units, one that handles administrative violations and one that handles criminal violations. The two must be kept separate. Let us take a closer look at the complaint process.
Complaint Process There are three principals involved in the complaint process. The fi rst of these is that top management has a proper supportive philosophy. This means that management has a philosophy of welcoming complaints against their employees. In other words, management wants to know if the citizens are dissatisfi ed. The second element is a group of offi cers trained in ad-
ministrative investigations. These offi cers should be sea- soned investigators and understand the rights of all persons involved. Their primary function is to gather the facts! They
he internal affairs function is an impor-
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