Citizen Complaints Against Officers
2008 4th 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 4th quarter of 2008, the Sioux Falls Police Department responded to 28,478 calls for service. 6,201 traffic stops were made. 12,421 citations were issued 2,117 adult arrests and 497 juvenile arrests were made.
During this period, there were three citizen’s complaints against officers. The findings for these complaints are as follows:
- Sustained - 0
- Not Sustained - 0
- Exonerated - 0
- Unfounded - 3
The following is a summary of each of those complaints:
- On 10-7-2008, a woman complained that she had been handcuffed too tightly after being arrested for possession of a suspended driver’s license. She indicated that she did tell the officers that the handcuffs were too tight and the officer had her lean forward in the back seat and attempted to adjust the handcuffs while she was seated. After reviewing the in-car video, it was deemed that the handcuffs were applied properly; the officer adjusted the handcuffs when asked to do so. This complaint was unfounded.
- On 10-26-08 an intoxicated man complained that he had been punched in the face by an officer. He had been arrested for a warrant and transported to jail. He claimed that after the officer placed him under arrest the officer struck him in the face causing injury. After a review of the in-car video and audio it was determined that the allegations being made were not true. After the investigation was completed, this complaint was unfounded.
- On 10-24-2008 an intoxicated woman reported that she had been arrested for “no reason” and that the handcuffs used were uncomfortable. The woman had been a passenger in a vehicle in which the driver was arrested for DWI. When the officers went to tow the car, the woman took the keys and refused to surrender them. She was arrested for obstructing a law enforcement officer. After investigation, it was revealed that there were no marks on the woman’s wrists. The officers properly handcuffed the woman. This complaint was unfounded.
