This form is to be used for

Citizen Complaints against Officers / Employees of Goldsboro Police Dept

Please do not use this for reporting traffic crashes, violations of city ordinances, domestic problems, criminal activity, etc.

Citizen Complaints

• Allegations/Complaints from citizens may be made in person, by mail, by telephone, by  facsimile, or by e-mail/web based.
• Allegations/Complaints will be handled by supervisors with the Goldsboro Police Department. Officers and other employees who become aware of complaints will refer or forward that complaint to their supervisor as soon as possible for follow up.
• No officer or employee will discourage a citizen from filing a complaint.

When in receipt of a complaint the Chief of Police may order that:

• The officer/employee’s immediate supervisor conduct an investigation into the allegation or
• An internal affairs investigation/administrative inquiry be conducted concerning the allegation and/or
• A criminal investigation be conducted concerning the allegation.

Supervisor’s Responsibilities

• Supervisors are to investigate complaints against their subordinates for allegations of non-criminal conduct (i.e. traffic infractions, discourtesy/rudeness, minor rule violations, etc. …) unless there are extenuating circumstances.
• Supervisors are to receive complaints from citizens and subordinates and attempt to resolve those complaints at that time. If a complaint involves an officer not under that supervisor’s oversight and the complaint cannot be resolved it should be forwarded to the employee’s supervisor for follow up if it is a non-criminal allegation.
• Complaints that cannot be resolved or complaints that amount to criminal violations should be reduced to writing using a citizen complaint form and signed by the complainant. If the complainant is an employee of this agency the complaint should be put in the form of a statement. The complaint should then be forwarded to the Office of the Chief of Police.
• In the event that a supervisor receives a complaint and there is no way to contact the complainant the complaint should be forwarded to the Office of the Chief of Police.
• It will be within the discretion of the supervisor to correct minor infractions with disciplinary actions such as:
  • Oral Reprimand
  • Written Reprimand
• Supervisors will correct minor infractions in accordance with the City of Goldsboro Personnel Policy.

At the conclusion of the investigation the investigator will prepare a case summary for the Chief of Police indicating what the investigators findings are. The investigator as a finder of fact will indicate what the facts are as evidenced by the investigation but make no recommendation as to what disciplinary action should be taken. The possible findings in an internal affairs investigation/administrative inquiry are as follows:

• Exonerated – The alleged incident did occur, but the actions of the officer(s) were justified, legal and proper

• Sustained – The investigation disclosed sufficient evidence to prove the allegation, and the actions of the officer violated provisions of rule(s) and regulations(s) or agency procedures.

• Not Sustained/Inconclusive – The investigation failed to prove or disprove the alleged conduct.

• Unfounded- The investigation supported the conclusion that the officer did not engage in the alleged conduct and/or the allegation is false.
• Policy Failure – The employee acted in accordance with existing Department directives; however, there is a flaw and current Department directive(s) do not cover the circumstances.