Friday, May 09, 2008














Complaints/Commendations

Complaints Against Police Officers

Your Kemmerer Police Department is dedicated to providing the best police service possible to all of Kemmerer's citizens. Your police officers are carefully selected and given the best training possible in order to provide this service. However, you may have occasion to lodge a complaint about the actions of a member of the Kemmerer Police Department, and the department ecourages citizens to bring forward legitimate grievances regarding employee misconduct. In order to be responsive to you, we are providing the following information about how complaints are made, how they are investigated, and their result.

HOW ARE COMPLAINTS MADE?

When a citizen lodges a complaint against a member of the Kemmerer Police Department, the complaint goes to the Chief of Police to review and investigate. His office is open from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. each weekday.
If the office is closed, you may lodge a complaint with any officer of the Police Department. Your complaint will be forwarded to the Chief for investigation.
All complaints against police officers must be in writing and signed by the person making the complaint (email is ok, if it has the complainant's name, email address, and contact information). Just as citizens who are arrested must be notified of the charges against them, the police officer must be given a copy of the complaint before any disciplinary action may be taken.
Complaints must be made within 30 days of the incident complained about, except in special cases (such as criminal misconduct or when a good cause can be shown by the person complaining). Complaints must be made by the person who claims to be aggrieved. Other persons may give statements as witnesses.

HOW COMPLAINTS ARE INVESTIGATED

The Chief of Police or his designee will conduct a thorough investigation of your complaint. Witnesses and officers will be contacted and asked to give statements. Records and other evidence will be collected and analyzed. When the investigation is complete, you will be notified of the results and the action taken.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A COMPLAINT IS FOUND TO BE TRUE

When the investigation of a complaint reveals that the charges are true and should be sustained against a police officer, the Chief of Police will take the appropriate disciplinary actions depending on the nature of the violation.

WHAT HAPPENS IF THE COMPLAINT CANNOT BE PROVEN OR IS NOT TRUE?

Police officers must be accorded certain rights, the same as with all citizens, and complaints must be supported by sufficient evidence. If there is not sufficient evidence to sustain the complaint, it will be unfounded and no action willl be taken.

OFFICERS CAN APPEAL THE DECISION

Just as a citizen charged with a criminal offense can appeal a court's decision, a police officer can appeal the action taken against him. The City of Kemmerer has established procedures for officers to follow in their appeals, just as the Police Department has established procedures for insuring that complaints by citizens against officers are investigated in a fair and impartial manner.

WHAT IF YOU ARE NOT SATISFIED WITH THE DECISION?

If you are not satisfied with the sufficiency or accuracy of the investigation, you may:

  • Appeal to the Chief of Police to have the investigation reopened and the findings reconsidered.
  • Appeal to the City Administrator.
  • Pursue any remedies which may be available in the judicial system.

The Kemmerer Police Department is vitally interested in the welfare of all Kemmerer citizens and in taking action where its employees have proven derelict in their duties or are guilty of wrongdoing. If it becomes necessary for you to make a complaint, you can be assured that it will be given a fair and thorough investigation.

By the same token, if you have occasion to see a police officer doing outstanding work, tell him or us about it.Your Police Officers are individuals who are dedicated to serving you and our community.

CONTINUE TO COMPLAINT FORM