Employee Conduct

1. Please read the following Complaining Party's Rights and Responsibilities:

In an Internal Affairs Investigations, a complainant has the following rights and responsibilities. Individuals wishing to comment or complain about the conduct of Agency employees will be treated with respect and professionalism.

• The right to have one representative of the complainant’s choice present while being interviewed during the investigation. The representative’s role shall be restricted to that of an advisor to the complainant, and not as a participant in the questioning and/or investigation.
• Complainant interviews shall be scheduled at the mutual convenience of the Agency and the complainant, and not necessarily at the convenience of the complainant’s representative, if any.
• Interviews shall be conducted at a reasonable hour, unless the seriousness of the investigation requires immediate action.
• The duration of the complainant’s interview shall be for a reasonable period of time, and shall allow for reasonable personal necessities and rest periods.
• The complainant has the right to a copy of his or her statement. The complainant has the right to notification of the findings of a Level One or Level Two investigation.
• The investigation will include one of the following findings:

Sustained - there is enough proof that the employee broke the rules.

Not sustained - there is not enough proof to show if the complaint is true or false.

Exonerated - the incident occurred, but the employee did not break any rules.

Unfounded - the allegation was false or not factual.

Not involved - the employee was not involved in the incident.

• If the investigation has not been reviewed by the Citizen Review Board, the complainant has the right to request such review by filing a written request with the Chief of Police or the City Manager's Office within 15 calendar days of the complainant's receipt of the written findings.
• The Chief of Police makes the final decision on findings in administrative investigations.

2. Complete the Complaint Intake Instructions(PDF, 669KB)  and the Incident Summary(PDF, 622KB).

3. Mail or return the completed forms to:

Fort Collins Police Services
Internal Affairs
2221 S. Timberline Road
Fort Collins, Colorado 80525

E-mailed: internalaffairs@fortcollins.gov

Phone: 970-416-2492

There are three classifications of complaints: a Performance Complaint, a Level One Complaint, and a Level Two Complaint.

A Performance Complaint generally involves service dissatisfaction and may involve a person's perception about an employee's behavior, a minor violation of agency policy, procedure or training, or a concern expressed about the way an incident was handled. The employee's direct supervisor is responsible for investigating a Performance Complaint and imposing any applicable discipline.

A Level One Complaint generally involves an allegation that, if substantiated, could result in disciplinary action beyond that usually expected in a Performance Complaint. Allegations of inappropriate tactics, racial profiling, dishonest conduct, and sexual harassment are examples. These allegations can be handled by the employee's direct supervisor or by Internal Affairs. Upon completion of the investigation, the case is reviewed by the involved employee's chain of command including the Chief of Police.

A Level Two Complaint generally involves the most serious and may include allegations of excessive force, a violation of law, civil rights violations, etc. These complaints are normally investigated by Internal Affairs and are reviewed by the involved employee's chain of command including the Chief of Police. Prior to the Chief rendering his/her final decision, the Citizen Review Board will review the case.

In most cases, the involved employee's immediate supervisor will investigate the matter. In some circumstances, depending upon the nature of the complaint, Internal Affairs may conduct the investigation. Complainants will be advised who is investigating their complaint.

The investigating supervisor may contact the complainant and witnesses in person or by telephone and a written statement may be requested. The involved employee(s) will also be interviewed about the incident.

The employee's supervisors will review the investigation to see if the employee broke any rules. If the complaint requires a review by the Citizen Review Board (CRB), the Chief of Police will render a finding following the CRB review. The complainant will receive written notification of the Chief's finding. Any discipline given to the employee is private and protected by law.

The entire process can take several weeks for a Performance Complaint and up to several months for a Level One or Level Two Complaint to be completed. Additional time is required and allowed by City ordinance if the complaint is reviewed by the CRB. Questions about the complaint process or the status of a case should be referred to Internal Affairs, 970-221-6831.

After the investigation, reviews, and recommendations have been completed, a final disposition or finding is made. There are five possible dispositions at the conclusion of an investigation for a Level One and Level Two Complaint:

Sustained - there is enough proof that the employee broke the rules.

Not sustained - there is not enough proof to show if the complaint is true or false.

Exonerated - the incident occurred, but the employee did not break any rules.

Unfounded - the allegation was false or not factual.

Not involved - the employee was not involved in the incident.

The Citizen Review board reviews internal investigations where a peace officer is alleged to have used force, discharged a firearm, or committed a crime when a person sustained severe injury, death, or alleged their civil rights were violated by a peace officer, or other investigations requested by the City Manager or Chief of Police.

Pursuant to City Code Section 2-144, certain incidents automatically trigger the Board’s review. Those incidents that do not automatically trigger the review process generally must have occurred within one year of the submission of the complaint or request for review.

Citizen Review Board

c/o Fort Collins City Clerk's Office

P.O. Box 580 Fort Collins, Colorado 80522

Voicemail: 970-416-2707
E-mail: crb@fortcollins.gov