Managing Complaints and Police Standards Training

Police officers are given tremendous authority in every country. They carry a loaded gun and are given almost unlimited power. This is not like any other profession. They are the most visible symbol of the government.

If a person bites a dog, that is news which is different and not normal. The police do their job well every day. Thousands help people every day. When the officers we trust violate the law, that is news.

It is healthy that police misconduct is news. What if it were so common that it was not news? The majority of police are very ethical. A few are not so this course is mostly about the person biting the dog and not the dog biting the person.

People who are ethical “do the right thing” because they are ethical. The men and women in most police depart- ments do the right thing hundreds of times a day Unfortunately some are unethical and do the wrong thing.

This lesson has two aims:

1. To familiarize the participants with the identity and background of course instructors and fellow participants.
2. To provide an overview of the 5-day training course, identifying:
   - Professional Standards and Police Ethics
   - Professional Conduct, Discipline
   - Professional Standards Unit and Investigation
   - Complaint Process