combined-10th-11th-report.pdf

‘Negotiated Settlement Agreement, Combined Tenth and Eleventh Semi-Annual Report December 2008 e Revised Departmental General Order M-3, Complaints Against Department Personnel or Procedures Special Order 8553, TB V-T.1, Internal Investigations Procedure Manual Information Bulletin, Internal Affairs Notification Information Bulletin, Preliminary Complaint Investigation Procedures Implementation Activities e The IAD reports that anonymous complaints continue to be accepted. The revised IAD complaint forms are currently being used to document and file citizen complaints. Revised Manual of Rules Section 314.49, Confidential Reporting of Police Misconduct, the acceptance of anonymous complaints was created in March of 2004 and is currently in effect. e IAD has installed a complaint hotline. As of the publication of this report, all equipment has been installed in order for the hotline to run properly and at full capacity. When the IAD is closed for business, the hotline is forwarded to the Communications Division where a dispatcher takes the information from the caller and disseminates it to the on- duty supervisor. The complaint hotline requirements are outlined in DGO M-3 and the IAD Manual. IMT Audit Summary Task 7.3 requires OPD to accept and investigate anonymous complaints to the extent reasonably possible. The IMT completed a compliance review of this aspect of Task 7 in December of 2007 and found OPD not yet in compliance with this requirement. While the IMT noted many examples of good investigations of anonymous complaints, it also found cases out of compliance because investigators did not take the investigative steps that reasonably should have been taken or documentation was inadequate and inaccurate. Of the 25 anonymous complaints of misconduct that the IMT focused on, 18 (72%) were investigated to the extent reasonably possible. In three more cases, the IMT was unable to determine whether the complaint was investigated to the extent reasonably possible, but based upon the available information, it appears it was not. The IMT noted that while OPD is not yet in compliance with the Settlement Agreement’s requirement that anonymous complaints be investigated to the extent reasonably possible, it does a far better job investigating these cases than previously and no longer dismisses out-of-hand complaints made anonymously. In nearly every complaint reviewed, IAD conducted some investigation of the complaint where at all possible. The IMT also noted when the IAD commander received the IMT report, he immediately developed and presented to investigators a training regarding anonymous complaints detailing the IMT findings and setting out its recommendations. As well, IAD reports that, going forward, investigators and intake officers will listen to all audio recordings related to complaints. OIG Audit Summary In October of 2007, the OIG initiated an audit of Task 7. All but two of the eight requirements for this Task were audited. Tasks 7.3 and 7.5 were not assessed. Task 7.3, Investigation of Anonymous Complaints, was not assessed due to time constraints since it requires an in depth review of the complaint process. Task 7.5, Distribution of Complaint Forms and Informational 37