If a complaint made to the Office of Police Complaints is not mediated or conciliated, the Executive Director may refer the matter to a Complaint Examiner following an Office of Police Complaints investigation. A legally-trained Complaint Examiner will review the Office of Police Complaints investigative file and decide whether the accused officer committed the alleged misconduct. If deemed necessary by the Complaint Examiner, a hearing will be held to make a determination on the merits of the complaint. If the Complaint Examiner sustains the allegation, the matter will be referred to the Chief of Police who can then discipline the officer. If the Police Chief disagrees with the findings of the Complaint Examiner, the case is reviewed by a panel of three Complaint Examiners. If the panel upholds the decision of the original Complaint Examiner, the Police Chief must then impose the appropriate discipline on the accused officer.
If a hearing is held, Complainants can have a lawyer or other designated representative at the hearing. In addition, all hearings are open to the public.
The following decisions have been issued by complaint examiners resolving complaints filed with the Office of Police Complaint: