MEDIATION OF MINOR NATURE CITIZEN

COMPLAINTS

West Point Leadership Academy Final Project

Detective Troy Officer

Areas of Interest

• First line supervisors are not involved enough in the training and discipline of their employees

• Police Oversight, as laid out in the meet and confer contract, will not have any effect on the majority of citizen complaints. (rudeness, abusive language, inadequate police service)

Areas of Interest

• Officers believe that Internal Affairs shouldn’t investigates “nit picky” complaints

• Citizens feel that nothing will be done with the complaints that are filed in Internal Affairs

• Citizens get no interaction with anyone that is going to have any direct influence on the Officer being complained on

Areas of Interest

• Any mediation process must ensure civil service protections for the officer

• MINOR NATURE COMPLAINTS SHOULD BE AND CAN BEST BE HANDLED BY SUPERVISORS NOTNOT INTERNAL AFFAIRS

Leadership Strategies

• Supervisors are going to be required to use ALL WPLP theories!

– Adult Development– Attribution– Equity– Expectancy– Job redesign

Action Plan

• Complainant files complaint with Internal Affairs’ intake

• IA Sergeants classify complaint as A, B, or C and assigns the case to an investigator

• Class B complaints are assigned to IA field investigator, who performs investigation

• Supervisor is notified when investigation is completed by Internal Affairs

Action Plan

• Complaint comes to Civilian Monitor’s office to file complaint

• Monitor interviews complainant about the nature of the complaint

• If monitor believes that the complaint does not constitute a policy violation, he can consult with IA Lieutenant on whether a supervisor conference is warranted OR

Action Plan• He can explain APD policy and procedures

to the complainant himself

• If the complaint is minor in nature, the Internal Affairs Lieutenant can call for a supervisor conference before the complainant signs a complaint affidavit

• If there is no resolution once the supervisor conference is completed, the IA field investigator will conduct an investigation on the citizen complaint

• IT IS THE SUPERVISOR’S PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY TO RESOLVE THE CITIZEN COMPLAINT BEFORE IT IS TURNED OVER TO INTERNAL AFFAIRS!!!

Supervisor Conference

A mediated meeting between the complained on employee’s immediate supervisor and the person filing the complaint

The oversight monitor or his representative will act as the mediator during these meetings

Action Plan

• Within five working days of the Internal Affairs Lieutenant recommending a supervisor conference, the monitors office will schedule a meeting with the complainant and the employee’s supervisor

• If there is no resolution during the conference, then the complaint would be investigated as normal

Supervisor Conference

• The meeting allows supervisors direct feedback from the citizens concerning the activities of his/her subordinates

• It provides the supervisor an opportunity to explain to the citizen the officer’s positive attributes and why a call for service may have been handled a certain way

Supervisor Conference

• It may also give the Supervisor an opportunity to apologize for the officer’s actions

• Allows supervisors a better opportunity to gage their employees’ training needs

Assessment

• Check the early warning system at 6 month intervals and see if the number of officers being identified is decreasing

• Have quarterly meetings with the oversight committee monitor to gage citizen feedback

• Interview Sergeants to see if there is an improvement in their subordinate’s job performance

Assessment• Check Internal Affairs’ yearly statistics to

see if the number of complaints and/or disciplinary actions have decreased

• At the conclusion of a investigation have complainants complete a survey on their satisfaction and their suggestions for the complaint process

Assessment

• Monitor meet and confer contract negotiations to see if there are calls for increased oversight committee authority from citizens

Live happily ever after