Citizen
Complaint Procedures
The
University of Pennsylvania Police Department's goal is to improve
the quality of services provided, to promote a high level of public
confidence, and to enhance and maintain the professional integrity
of this department and its members. That is, the UPPD and its
members will perform their duties within the boundaries of established
contemporary legal and ethical standards. The department has established
and promoted these standards through clear, written policy statements
and rules and regulations, and through the thorough and impartial
investigation of all allegations of misconduct or complaints regarding
the directives of the department.
A
formal procedure to receive, document, and investigate all citizen
complaints allows the department to monitor and enforce standards,
and is the administrative statement that behavior deviating from
these adopted standards will not be tolerated. With a meaningful
and effective procedure for handling citizen complaints, we believe
citizen confidence in the integrity of the department and its
employees will be achieved and maintained.
It
is the policy of the department to accept, document, review, and
investigate all instances of alleged misconduct, to include complaints
regarding the directives or procedures of the department, and
to equitably determine whether the allegations are valid or invalid
and to take appropriate action. All allegations of misconduct
will be investigated, regardless of whether initiated by citizen
complaint, other external agencies, internally generated, or discovered
through the internal review and administrative processes of the
department.
It
should be understood that the department expects and receives
the highest degree of integrity from its members, and accordingly
presumes, unless evidence is discovered to the contrary, that
all employee actions are performed in good faith.
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University of Pennsylvania Police Department
Procedures
for Filing Complaints Against Police
1.
All citizen complaints pertaining to departmental policies or
procedures, or that allege officer misconduct, shall be documented
and investigated by the department. Citizens who have complaints
should expect action. All complaints shall be accepted in a courteous,
understanding, and professional manner.
a. Complaints
may be given in person, over the telephone, or in writing.
b. From
the UPPD website, www.upenn.edu/police,
citizens may complete a "Citizen Complaint Form."
This form must either be hand delivered to the UPPD Headquarters
Building located at 4040 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104,
or may be mailed to the Office of the Chief of Police at the same
address. Forms will also be available at the UPPD Headquarters
Building as well as various campus resource centers.
c. Anonymous
complaints, or complaints from citizens who wish their names to
be held in confidence, shall be accepted for investigation. Citizens
offering anonymous complaints are advised that our ability to
investigate the complaint may be limited by their anonymity.
d. Upon
receipt of a citizen complaint, the Office of the Chief of Police
shall contact the citizen and advise him/her that the matter is
under investigation. If necessary, the citizen shall also receive
periodic status reports regarding the investigation. Upon completion
of the investigation, the citizen will receive written notice
of the final disposition of the case from the Office of the Chief
of Police.
e. Citizens
whose complaints have been investigated by the UPPD who are unsatisfied
with the results may contact the Office of the Vice President
for Public Safety at (215) 898-7515. Students, staff and/or faculty
may additionally contact the Office of the Ombudsman at (215)
898-8261, or other appropriate center(s) (i.e. Penn Women's Center,
LGBT Center, Albert E. Greenfield Intercultural Center, etc.)
Questions
regarding the UPPD Citizen Complaint Process may be directed to
the Office of the Chief of Police, (215) 898-4483.