The Reality of Complaints

The Lieutenant makes sense. Too bad she works in Aurora:

• When I was a patrol officer, a citizen filed a formal complaint against me, claiming that while arresting her, I picked her up and threw her against the transport van. I remember receiving the official notification of the allegation and feeling the blood drain from my face when I read that an investigation was being launched and that a guilty finding may result in my termination.

  Not only was I not guilty of the infraction, but, ironically, I'm so much smaller than the person who filed the complaint that it would have made it nearly impossible for me to lift her, let alone throw her, as she claimed. One of the sergeants for whom I worked even gave me the humorous nickname "Crusher" based on the sheer irony of my predicament. Eventually, justice prevailed and the complaint was ruled "unfounded" after several of the citizen's own family members gave statements that exonerated me. Despite being found not guilty, that allegation sits in my personnel file to this day.

Go read the whole thing. J-Fed might take some lessons from this Lieutenant Kristen Ziman. Yes, we are aware he was backed into a corner by the Federal judge - it was all for show anyway. But he's more than capable of revamping the entire Complaint process and maybe doing something simple? Unfounded complaints should be purged upon going through the review process. Not Sustained cases shouldn't be kept around for seven years. How about a few prosecutions for false affidavits to restore trust?

Of course, capable doesn't mean willing. We won't hold our breath.

(Tip of the hat to Shaved who had this up on his blog earlier Sunday)