Your Tiffin Police Department is dedicated to providing the best police
service possible to all of Tiffin'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 Tiffin Police Department. 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.
Email the
Lieutenant with a Complaint
HOW ARE COMPLAINTS MADE?
When a citizen lodges a complaint against a member of the Tiffin Police
Department, the complaint goes to a supervisor to investigate.
Ohio state law requires that 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 5 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 supervisor 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 may
take one of the following actions depending on the nature of the
violation.
- Reprimand the employee.
- Suspend the employee without pay.
- Demote the employee.
- Discharge the employee.
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, the officer is
notified and continues on duty.
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 Tiffin 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 thoroughly and
honestly investigated.
WHAT IF YOU ARE NOT SATISFIED WITH THE DECISION?
If you are not satisfied with the results of the investigation by the
supervisor, you may:
- Contact the Captain and discuss it with him.
- If you are still not satisfied with the results of the
investigation, you may discuss it with the
Chief of Police.
- You may also request investigations for certain acts by the
Prosecutor's Office if criminal
violations are alleged and the Federal
Bureau of Investigation if civil rights violations are
alleged.
The Tiffin Police Department is vitally interested in the welfare of
all Tiffin 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.
