Complaint specialists in the Office of Police Oversight independently review every complaint and follow the investigation process described here. Complaints are formally investigated when they show a potential violation of Austin Police Department policies.
Here’s what to expect
Timeframe
Investigations could take up to 6 months to complete and may require 1 to 4 hours of your time over the course of those months. Our office will contact you with a monthly update. At the end, you will have the option of a close-out meeting to discuss the outcome of your complaint in detail.
Investigation Process
Your complaint will be investigated by a sergeant in Internal Affairs, a division of the Austin Police Department, and overseen by the Office of Police Oversight.
1. The Office of Police Oversight receives your complaint.
A complaint specialist in the Office of Police Oversight reviews your complaint, including any available video, audio, or other evidence. Then we send the information to Internal Affairs.
2. Internal Affairs begins an investigation with the Office of Police Oversight.
Internal Affairs reviews the complaint and classifies it according to Austin Police Department’s policy and employee manual.
Class A complaints include, but are not limited to:
- Criminal conduct
- Serious policy violations
- Conduct that could damage the Police Department
Class B complaints include, but are not limited to:
- Policy violations such as profanity, belittling language, inadequate police service, or minor traffic violations
- Negligent damage or loss of property
- Negligent crashes
Class C complaints are not policy violations, but the officer might need training to handle the situation better.
Class D complaints are not policy violations because the evidence shows they are false.
- Administrative Inquiries are ordered by the Chief or their designee, generally for issues that could damage the Police Department.
- Supervisor Referrals are used when the complainant requests to speak with a supervisor.
- Citizen Concerns are used when a complainant contacts the Office of Police Oversight with a concern, often anonymously. The Office of Police Oversight then sends it to Internal Affairs for investigation and further classification, if deemed necessary.
If you provided your contact information and requested we follow up with you, a staff person with the Office of Police Oversight will contact you within 2 to 4 business days.
3. If necessary, the Chief of Police determines the outcome, which may include disciplinary action.
The nature of your complaint will determine if any policy change or disciplinary action occurs.
The decision is categorized according to Austin Police Department’s policy and employee manual.
- Sustained: The evidence supports the allegation.
- Exonerated: The evidence supports the allegation, but it was not a policy violation.
- Unfounded: The evidence does not support the allegation.
- Inconclusive: The evidence isn’t enough to either support the allegation or exonerate the officer(s).
- Administratively Closed:
- All of the following are true:
- (a) There were no allegations or there was no misconduct.
- (b) It was classified as a Class C or Class D complaint.
- (c) At the discretion of the Chief or their designee. This category is also used when the officer(s) retired or resigned during the investigation.
4. We notify you of the outcome.
We notify you of the outcome via email or mail, if you provided your contact information. If the officer in question received a suspension of one day or more as a consequence of your complaint, we will include their disciplinary memo describing the circumstances of their suspension. We will also offer you the option of a close-out meeting to discuss the outcome with the director and a complaint specialist from the Office of Police Oversight, as well as an interpreter if you requested one.