The Police Misconduct Complaint Investigations Manual provides a timely and unique, step-by-step approach to conducting or reviewing police misconduct investigations, whether a complaint involves a lower-level allegation of discourtesy or more serious concerns such as excessive force or criminal behavior. Utilizing real-life examples and updated case law to illustrate points, it provides best practices for investigating police action resulting in misconduct complaints. The Manual’s comprehensive approach includes detailed procedures and policy considerations from intake through case closure, and discusses data tracking, reporting on trends, selecting and training investigative staff, civilian oversight, and a host of special issues that can arise with police misconduct complaints. The Manual is suitable for both sworn personnel and civilians handling or reviewing investigations and whether working internally for a police department or externally in oversight or another capacity. The guidance provides detailed examples of witness interview questions and types of evidence to collect, with discussion on making difficult credibility determinations and approaches to analyzing the information gathered to arrive at a recommended finding. Review questions are found at the end of most chapters, for use in academic or investigative training environments. Police officers engaged in the often complex and challenging work of public safety deserve and expect objective, thorough, and timely handling of complaints. Complainants and other stakeholders seek accountability and transparency when an officer behaves in a way that raises questions about their professionalism. The Complaint Investigations Manual provides instruction on handling misconduct complaints in a manner that will ensure the goals of law enforcement and stakeholders are met. The authors intentionally use a broad approach to make the Manual relevant and easy to use by law enforcement personnel, civilians in oversight or other capacities who work on police misconduct matters, and the criminal justice academic community. It is a critical primer for internal affairs investigators, police managers, law enforcement leaders, auditing professionals, civilian oversight practitioners, government representatives, community advocates, criminal and social justice students, and all others in pursuit of fair, thorough, and timely investigations of police misconduct complaints.

This report provides guidance in helping police and community leaders develop successful mediation programs for addressing citizen complaints against police officers. The first chapter defines mediation as "the informal resolution of a complaint or dispute between two parties through a face-to-face meeting in which a professional mediator serves as a neutral facilitator and where both parties ultimately agree that an acceptable resolution has been reached." The goals of mediation are to achieve understanding of the issues involved in the complaint, solve any problems associated with the complaint, and achieve reconciliation between the parties. The second chapter outlines the potential benefits of mediation for police officers, citizen complainants, police accountability, community policing, the complaint process, and the criminal justice system. The third chapter discusses the key issues in developing a mediation program for citizen complaints against police. Among the issues addressed are voluntary participation, case eligibility, the mediation of racial and ethnic-related complaints, the mediation of complaints by women, potential language and cultural barriers, case screening, police discipline and accountability, and getting both sides to the table. Other issues addressed pertain to the mediation session itself and the enforcement of agreements. Chapter four presents results from a survey of existing citizen complaint mediation programs. The concluding chapter describes a model for a successful mediation program for citizen complaints against police. 100 references.

Throughout the history of law enforcement, the internal investigation process has held the most negative connotation of any investigation conducted by law enforcement personnel. As we progress through the new millennium, the need for efficient and effective law enforcement services and practices grows ever more critical. The goal of this book is to demonstrate this need for proper and complete internal investigations, and to teach the entry level and tenured police supervisor the form and function of the internal investigations process. The text selectively focuses on the purposes and practical implications of internal investigations and the pitfalls. The goal is to guide students and professionals through definitions, terminology, legal and labor issues, case law, techniques and procedures, critical and special investigations, including issues in administrative and civil claims. The reader will find a model for conducting internal investigations of police personnel that will allow a police supervisor or commander to perform investigations in a thorough, ethical, legal, and equitable manner. This book will meet the needs of attorneys who litigate cases involving allegations of police misconduct as well as representatives of collective bargaining groups who represent police personnel in similar actions. The text ends with the offering of evidence identification, evaluation and collection, case review processes, risk management, training and managing internal investigators, and the future trends in internal investigations.

As unrest over officer-involved shootings and deaths in custody takes center stage in conversations about policing and the criminal justice system, Guidelines for Investigating Officer-Involved Shootings, Arrest-Related Deaths, and Deaths in Custody addresses critical investigation components from an expert witness perspective, providing the insights necessary to ensure a complete investigation. Investigating a custodial death or an officer involved in a shooting presents unique and complex issues: estate, community, judicial, agency, involved officer, and public policy interests are all at stake. These types of deaths present various emerging medical, psychological, legal and liability, technical, and investigatory issues that must be addressed through a comprehensive investigation. This book is ideal for students in criminal investigation, death investigation, crime scene investigation, and special topic courses in custodial deaths and officer-involved shootings, as well as for death investigators, law enforcement officers, police administrators, and attorneys.

A comprehensive manual on the legal and practical aspects of police use of force and force investigations designed for street officers, front-line supervisors, investigators, attorneys, police unions and agency administrators. Suitable for basic academy and in-service training this manual contains information on constitutional parameters, teaching use of force, agency policy, street application, reporting and investigating incidents of the use of deadly or non-deadly force by police officers in the United States.

This new work covers the highly sensitive topic of who polices the police. Dealing with all aspects of the law relating to the regulation of the police, it gives detailed analysis and guidance on practice at complaints and misconduct hearings and the role and powers of the IPCC and of its statutory guidance. Appendices include regulations and associated Home Office Guidance under the 2004 and 2008 performance and misconductregimes, and the new 2008 PAT rules.