High Risk Critical Task / Internal Affairs and Complaints
Pursuant to NRS 81-1414.14, law enforcement agencies shall have a policy regarding accepting and investigating complaints of law enforcement officer misconduct. It is imperative that the Agency operates in a degree of transparency and is responsive to complaints alleging employee misconduct and external concerns regarding the operation of the agency. Members of the public shall be provided with a reasonable avenue for any redress of grievances they may have with the service received by agency employees or the conduct of the Agency. Â Complaints alleging employee or agency misconduct are accepted for the following principal reasons:
- To ensure that complaints alleging employee or agency misconduct are accepted and investigated in a consistent and reasonable manner to uncover the truth of the allegations,
- To identify areas of misunderstanding by the complaining citizen,
- To identify employees whose attitude, behavior and/or performance is in need of correction and supervisory intervention,
- To protect agency employees and the Agency from erroneous complaints, and
- To identify agency policies, training and/or practices in need of reevaluation, clarification and/or correction.
All complaints of employee misconduct will be accepted from all persons. Employees shall assist individuals who wish to lodge a complaint against any member of this agency by explaining the complaint procedure or contacting an on-duty supervisor if necessary.
Employee Responsibilities:
Question: According to agency policy, whenever an employee becomes aware of a citizen’s complaint or becomes aware of misconduct of another agency employee, they shall:
- Instruct the complainant that Internal Affairs is located at headquarters, and they should respond there in the morning to file a complaint
- Immediately notify an on-duty supervisor and ensure that follow-up to the complaining person will not be delayed. If a supervisor cannot be made available or the party making the complaint refuses to wait for the supervisor, the employee will gather all available information regarding the complaint and contact numbers.
- Conduct a preliminary investigation on your own to determine if you feel the complaint is valid and only forward the valid complaint to Internal Affairs.
Answer: B
The Agency will accept and document all complaints alleging employee or Agency misconduct. Complaints can be made in person, by telephone, by letter or by email. Failure to follow acceptance provisions will result in disciplinary action against the involved employee.
