Indianapolis police to change complaint process

Indianapolis police are working to improve a citizens complaint process that for years has deterred public input, unnerved officers and hampered how quickly the ­Police Department addresses concerns.

The changes are coming early next year. They include making it easier for people to file complaints and accelerating the pace of investigations.

The streamlined process also will allow supervisors to quickly identify officers with repeated complaints so the department can step in to resolve any issues.

The goal, police officials said, is to reassure the public that the ­Indianapolis Metropolitan Police ­Department takes allegations of officer misconduct seriously and is committed to rooting out wrongdoing.

The faster process should ­benefit officers, as well. They won’t have to wait months or, sometimes, more than a year to find out how a complaint will be resolved.

“This system will make it a lot easier for both officers and citizens to track the status of a complaint,” Public Safety Director Troy Riggs said. “It keeps a record for everyone, and it’s more fair to everyone, too. It’s not fair to an officer to be working so long with a complaint hanging over their head.”

Now, filing a police complaint with IMPD can be inconvenient and time-consuming. Although some complaints can be phoned in to the Citizens’ Police Complaint Office at the City-County Building, the most serious ones have to be filed in person at the Downtown office.

Although most complaints also can be filed at the city’s six police districts or even with a police supervisor on the street, many citizens don’t know that.

Even some supervisors are unaware, as well, referring citizens to the Downtown office when they don’t need to.

The new approach will route all complaints, big and small, through the Complaint Office and ­replace paperwork with an electronic filing system.

Citizens will be able to file complaints online, and supervisors will be required to file grievances electronically so the records can’t be easily misplaced, as have some paper files.

Typical complaints ­involve rudeness by officers, unnecessary use of force and failure to follow up. They usually fall ­under broad disciplinary categories as conduct ­unbecoming an officer, substandard perform­ance and neglect of duty.

The Complaint Office has handled 362 complaints this year, 429 last year and 242 the year ­before.

A review of the IMPD complaint process by an outside consulting firm, Altegrity Security Consulting of Falls Church, Va., in 2011, called for “radically changing the initial intake of civilian complaints.”

“The message regarding the taking of complaints is simple: take them all. Make it easy to complain,” the report read. “The entire police department should be ­required to take complaints.”

Brian C. Reeder, execu­tive director of the Citizens’ Police Complaint Office, said the ­office this year began making sure all complaints are funneled to its office and reviewed ­faster.

Better tracking of complaints and improved communications with ­Internal Affairs investigators have reduced a backlog from an average of 188 days to 90 days.

“Our dialogue with ­Internal Affairs and the Office of Professional Standards has really ­improved,” Reeder said.

Officials think the ­existing complaint process may deter residents from helping keep an eye over their police department.

Reeder said it is impossible to tell how many resi­dents simply give up and never follow through.

Riggs said he wants to change that.

“It shouldn’t matter where you are or how you want to do the complaint,” Riggs said.

Riggs said the new ­approach, part of a new computer software system the department will begin rolling out in January, will benefit residents, the department and officers.

“Officers don’t like complaints hanging over their heads for months or years,” he said. “It’s frustrating. They would like it resolved, one way or ­another, immediately.”

The system will let all supervisors see when ­repeated complaints are filed against an officer and help the department intervene if an officer is having personal problems that are affecting job ­performance.

The system also can quickly weed out citizens who make frequent, ­unfounded complaints.

Bill Owensby, president of the Fraternal ­Order of Police, said police rank and file have no objection to the new approach, and it could help some officers avoid more serious run-ins later.

“This should be a good thing for everyone,” he said. “In recent years, we’ve had trouble investigating these complaints in a timely way.”

Call Star reporter John Tuohy at (317) 444-2762. Follow him on Twitter: @john_tuohy.