Full Notification

Your Dallas Police Department is dedicated to providing the best police service possible to all of Dallas citizens. Your police officers are carefully selected and given the best training possible in order to provide this service. However, you may have occasion to lodge a complaint about the actions of a member of the Dallas Police Dept. In order to be responsive to you, we are providing the following information about how complaints are made, how they are investigated, and their result.

HOW ARE COMPLAINTS MADE?

When a citizen lodges a complaint against a member of the Dallas Police Department, the complaint goes to the Internal Affairs Division (IAD), located at 1400 S. Lamar, Dallas, TX. Special Investigators are assigned to review and investigate your complaint. Their office is open from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. each week-day.

If the Internal Affairs Division offices are closed, you may lodge a complaint with any supervisory officer of the Police Department. Your complaint will be forwarded to IAD for investigation.

Texas state law requires that all complaints against police officers must be in writing and signed by the person making the complaint. Just as citizens who are arrested must be notified of the charges against them, the police officer must be given a copy of the complaint before any disciplinary action may be taken.

Complaints must be made within 60 days of the incident complained about, except in special cases (such as criminal misconduct or when good cause can be shown by the person complaining). Complaints must be made by the person who claims to be aggrieved. Other persons may give statements as witnesses.

RACIAL PROFILING COMPLAINTS

In 2001, The Texas Legislature passed a law prohibiting “Racial Profiling”. Police officers may not take “any enforcement-initiating action based on an individual’s race, ethnicity, or national origin rather than on the individual’s behavior or on information identifying the individual as having engaged in criminal activity. “Race or Ethnicity” is defined as a person’s particular descent, including Caucasian, African, Hispanic, Asian, or Native American descent.

Examples of “Racial Profiling” include but are not limited to:
Initiating a traffic stop on a particular vehicle because of race, ethnicity, or national origin of the driver of a vehicle.
Stopping or detain the driver of a vehicle based on the determination that a person of that race, ethnicity, or national origin in unlikely to own or possess that specific make or model of vehicle.
Stopping or detaining an individual based upon the determination that a person of that race, ethnicity, or national origin is unlikely to be in that place or part of town.
Stopping a driver when looking for a suspect if the only commonality between the suspect and the driver is their race, ethnicity, or national origin.
Singling out an individual for enforcement who is part of a group of individuals exhibiting similar behavior (for example, a group of drivers exceeding the speed limit) because of the individual’s race, ethnicity, or national origin.
“Racial Profiling” by officers is strictly prohibited by the Dallas Police Department. Officers who violate this policy are subject to the same actions described in “WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A COMPLAINT IS FOUND TO BE TRUE?” Complaints alleging “Racial Profiling” are accepted and investigated in the same manner as other complaints.

HOW ARE COMPLAINTS ARE INVESTIGATED

Internal Affairs Division investigators will conduct a thorough investigation of you complaint. Witnesses and officers will be contacted and asked to give statements. Records and other evidence will be collected and analyzed. When the investigation is complete, you will be notified of the results and the action taken.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A COMPLAINT IS FOUND TO BE TRUE?

When the investigation of a complaint reveals that the charges are true and should be sustained against a police officer, the Chief of Police may take one of the following actions depending on the nature of the violation.
Reprimand the employee
Suspend the employee without pay.
Demote the employee
Discharge the employee
WHAT HAPPENS IF THE COMPLAINT CANNOT BE PROVEN OR IS NOT TRUE?

Police officers must be accorded certain rights, the same as with all citizens, and complaints must be supported by sufficient evidence. If there is not sufficient evidence to sustain the complaint, the officer is notified and continues on duty.

OFFICERS CAN APPEAL THE DECISION

Just as a citizen charged with a criminal offense can appeal a court’s decision, a police officer can appeal the action taken against him. The City of Dallas has established procedures for officers to follow in their appeals, just as the Police Department has established procedures for insuring that complaints by citizens against officers are thoroughly and honestly investigated.

WHAT IF YOU ARE NOT SATISFIED WITH THE DECISION?

If you are not satisfied with the results of the investigation by the Internal Affairs Division, you may:
Contact the Internal Affairs Division, located in the Jack Evans Police Headquarters Building, 1400 S. Lamar Street, and discuss the case with a supervisor.

If you are still not satisfied with the results of the investigation, you may appeal to the Citizens/Police Review Board, located in City Hall, Room 4ES. The board holds public meetings each month. Call 214-670-3246 for further information.

You may also request investigations for certain acts by the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office if criminal violations are alleged and the Federal Bureau of Investigation if civil rights violations are alleged.