City of Quincy ILLINOIS

Internal Affairs

The Quincy Police Department strives to provide the best service possible to its citizen. As we do so, there will be times that an officer provides outstanding service. The department wants to acknowledge those officers that are doing a good job. Similarly, the department understands that sometimes citizens will have complaints about the service they receive. The department has a procedure in place to acknowledge compliments and to investigate complaints regarding officer performance.

The Deputy Chief of Operations heads our internal affairs process. He is responsible for ensuring that all complaints are properly investigated and all notifications are made. In addition to citizen complaints, investigations may be initiated based on allegations of violation of department rules or procedures. The Deputy Chief of Administration and the four Lieutenants assist the Deputy Chief in the internal affairs function. In addition, the Department works closely with the City Attorney and the State's Attorney when the allegation is of a criminal nature.

Once an internal investigation is completed one of four dispositions is assigned to the case. The possible dispositions are:

1. Unfounded. The investigation indicates that the act(s) complained of did not occur or failed to involve police personnel.

2. Exonerated. The acts did occur, but were justified, lawful, and proper.

3. Not Sustained. The investigation failed to discover sufficient evidence to clearly prove or disprove the allegations made in the complaint.

4. Sustained. The investigation disclosed sufficient evidence to clearly prove the allegations made in the complaint.

Discipline ranging from remedial training and counseling up through termination may result from sustained complaints. The amount of discipline varies depending on the type and severity of the violation and the record of the officer. Sustained complaints that are violations of criminal law are reviewed by the State's attorney's office.

Filing compliments and complaints

To compliment an officer for his or her good work, you can download a Compliment/Complaint form (you must have Adobe Acrobat installed on your computer) and mail it in, call the Watch Commander, write a letter to the Chief of Police or send an email.

The Department wishes to investigate and resolve complaints as quickly as possible. There are several ways in which to file a complaint. The best way is to go the Police Department and meet with the on duty Watch Commander. You can complete the complaint form yourself, or the Watch Commander will take your complaint. Meeting with the Watch Commander gives him the opportunity to discuss the issue with you and obtain additional details. At times, this may result in a resolution to your problem or concern. You may also telephone the Watch Commander or the Deputy Chief to make the complaint.

You can make the complaint by mail. You can print, complete and mail the attached complaint form or you can simply write a letter explaining what happened. This should be mailed to the Department to the attention of the Deputy Chief of Operations.