Citizen Complaint Procedure
If you feel an employee of this department has acted in an abusive or unprofessional manner, you are encouraged to report the employee to a police supervisor. The following describes the complaint procedures that are in place. The Gilbert Police Department is committed to maintaining a positive relationship with the community and to correcting any possible adverse actions, practices, and attitudes that may contribute to community tensions and grievances.
Our Policy
It is the policy of the Gilbert Police Department to investigate all complaints against the department or its employees. This ensures the integrity of the department and protects the rights and interests of both citizens and department employees. The department will take complaints in any form and they may be made anonymously. The following is a brief synopsis of what you may expect to happen:
Complaint Reception
Depending on the format a complaint is received, a police supervisor may contact you about your complaint to gather further information or to clarify the allegation. During this contact, the supervisor may ask you about your perspective on what happened and who else may have been involved. Written complaints often provide enough detail and a complaint reception interview is not necessary. It is possible the supervisor may be able to explain the employee's action(s) to your satisfaction. If an interview is conducted, you should expect to be audio or videotaped during the interview. The supervisor will ask you for the names of all witnesses and other police department employees that may know facts about your complaint. It is important to have as much information as possible. Also, evidence processing may take place as related to your complaint.
The Investigation
After the interview, either the employee's supervisor or a detective from the Internal Affairs Section of the Office of Professional Standards will investigate your complaint. All involved employees will be interviewed and witnesses whom you have named will be contacted and you may also be asked for more information. You may be contacted again for more information or clarification. Although it is impossible to estimate how long the investigation will take, a normal investigation should take no more than 30 days to complete. As expected, this timeframe will fluctuate based on case complexity. If you have any questions, you may contact the Internal Affairs supervisor at (480) 503-6500 (TTY: (480) 503-6505).
The Review
Upon completion, the investigation will be reviewed by those within the employee’s chain of command. The employee's commander shall render an appropriate disposition.
The Disposition
The results of the completed investigation will be classified into one of the five categories below:
Sustained: Your complaint has been supported. The employee(s) involved acted improperly and may be disciplined.
- Unfounded: The investigation revealed no basis to the complaint.
- Exonerated: The employee(s) involved acted properly and will not be disciplined.
- Not Sustained: There was not enough evidence to prove your complaint to be true or false, so no further action will be taken.
Policy Failure: Indicates the allegation is true, but the employee(s) was acting in a manner consistent with departmental policy, necessitating a review and revision of the policy.
After a thorough investigation of the complaint, the Internal Affairs supervisor will notify you, in writing, of the disposition.
Your Rights After the Disposition
- The Gilbert Police Department will not condone, and will take disciplinary action against those employees, who cause harassment, tacit or otherwise, of complainants, witnesses or any other person connected to any internal investigation.
- Notify Internal Affairs immediately if you suspect violation of any of the above.
- You may ask about the status of your complaint at any time by calling the Internal Affairs Section at (480) 503-6500 (TTY: (480) 503-6505).
Responsibility - Ours and Yours
The Gilbert Police Department views all citizen complaints against its employees very seriously and actively pursues investigation into misconduct. For this reason, you must ensure that your complaint is based on fact and you have provided us with all of these facts to the best of your ability. If you intentionally make a false report to this department, you should know that making the false report could result in criminal and/or civil legal proceedings being filed against you.
Our Commitment to You
Employees of the Gilbert Police Department shall at all times strive to be courteous and professional in their dealings with citizens. It is the hope of the department that all of your contacts with our officers are positive. If not, we will endeavor to resolve the complaint to your satisfaction to resolve the complaint with fairness to all parties involved.
