Citizen Complaints Against Officers
2007 2nd Quarter
All citizen complaints against officers are documented and investigated by the department’s supervisors. Once the investigation is complete it is reviewed by the Section Commander, Division Commander and then forwarded to the Office of the Chief where the decision is made as to the finding of the complaint. Complaints questioning the basis for a citation or arrest are not documented and those complainants are advised to go through the court system.
There are four different categories of complaint findings:
- Sustained - The investigation produced a preponderance of evidence to prove the allegation did in fact occur and the action of the officer was improper.
- Not Sustained - The investigation failed to produce a preponderance of evidence to either prove or disprove the allegation.
- Exonerated - The allegation in fact did occur but the actions of the officer were legal, justified, proper, and in accordance with the law and the department’s policies and procedures.
- Unfounded - The allegation in fact did not occur, based on the evidence.
Throughout the 2nd quarter of 2007, the Sioux Falls Police Department responded to 21,578 calls for service. 6,936 traffic stops were made. 11,156 citations were issued, 2,228 adult arrests and 547 juvenile arrests were made.
During this period, there were two citizen’s complaints against officers. The findings for these complaints are as follows:
Sustained - 0
Not Sustained - 1
Exonerated - 0
Unfounded - 1
The following is a summary of each of those complaints:
- Officers responded to a complaint of a disorderly subject. When they arrived they came into contact with a man who was very intoxicated and bleeding from the head. The man was belligerent and uncooperative with the officers. The officers asked what happened to him and he said he got into an argument. He then added, “You should see what happened to the other guy.” As he was saying this he was pointing over to a neighbor’s house. The officers went to that house to check the well-being of the male resident. They spoke with a woman at the front door who initially was the one that called police. The officers asked to see her husband. She refused to let them in the house. The officers disregarded her request and went into the house to check on the man. He was located and was found to be uninjured. The woman later complained saying the officers did not have the right to enter her house against her will. After reviewing the incident it was determined the officers did have the right to enter the residence only to check his well-being and not for any investigative purposes. Once it was determined the man was not injured the officers left the house. The complaint was not sustained.
- An officer and a Civil Defense Reserve Officer were sent to a report of an intoxicated subject inside a restaurant. When they arrived they observed a highly intoxicated man out on the sidewalk. Due to his level of intoxication the officers had an ambulance respond to examine him. Ambulance personnel determined he was okay and that the officers could transport him to Detox. He later complained that the officers refused to give him medical attention at the scene for back pain and that no ambulance responded. The officer’s in-car video was reviewed. It confirmed that ambulance personnel examined him and at no point did the man complain about back pain during his contact with the officers. The complaint was unfounded.
