WHAT IS A CITIZEN COMPLAINT?
A citizen complaint is an allegation from any source, of any action
or inaction by Department personnel the individual considers being
contrary to law, proper procedure, good order or in some manner
prejudicial to the individual, the Police Department, or to the
community.
If the only complaint is a contention of innocence of a charge
without any allegation of misconduct by the officer, you should seek
judicial redress through established court procedure.
WHO HANDLES CITIZEN COMPLAINTS?
Complaints about the quality of service provided will be assigned to
the employee's immediate supervisor by the Chief of Police. Examples
of these complaints are:
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Discourtesy/Unprofessional Attitude |
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Lack of Proper Service |
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Improper Procedure (e.g. offense investigation, use of
discretion, official law enforcement practices, etc.) |
Allegations of misconduct will be handled by the Chief of
Police and/or the judicial system. Examples of these
complaints are: |
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Criminal Conduct |
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Sexual misconduct |
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Use of excessive force |
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Unnecessary pointing of firearms at persons |
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Serious misconduct (severe nature or pattern of
violations, lack of service, etc.) |
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Improper searches and seizures |
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Discrimination |
HOW DO I FILE A COMPLAINT?
A complaint can be filed in writing, verbally, in person or by mail,
telephone, facsimile, or electronic mail. All police personnel are
authorized to take complaints, including third party complaints. A
Newark Division of Police Department Citizen Complaint Form will be
completed each time a complaint is filed.
WHAT INFORMATION DO I NEED TO PROVIDE?
On the Citizen Complaint Form you will be requested to give your
name, address, phone numbers where you can be reached and the name,
address, and phone numbers of any witnesses. You will also need to
provide the date, time, and facts of the incident. If you have the
officer's name, badge number, shift assignment, or car number it
would be helpful, but is not necessary.
HOW WILL MY COMPLAINT BE RESOLVED?
Each complaint will be resolved in writing. Your complaint will be
assigned a number which will be provided to you. This number will be
used to follow your complaint through the process.
A quality of service complaint will be assigned to a supervisor and
fully investigated. You may be asked to appear at our Police
Department for an interview or it might be handled over the
telephone.
Any serious allegation described above will be handled by the Chief
of Police and/or by any of the Bureau Commanders. This may include
asking for assistance from another police agency or the Licking
County Prosecutor's Office. In either case the complaint will be
fully investigated.
Once the complaint is filed you will be contacted and thoroughly
informed of the process that will follow. You will also be kept
informed as the process progresses.
Upon completion of the investigation a report will be forwarded to
the Chief of Police for final disposition. Once the report is
approved, you will be informed in writing of the outcome of the
investigation of your complaint including whether any
non-disciplinary corrective action or disciplinary action was taken.
It is a violation of Ohio law to file a false complaint against a
police officer (ORC 2921.15).
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To file a complaint, please click on the link below and print a copy
of the form to complete.
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