Citizen Feedback

To file an Officer Commendation or Complaint, or to express a Law Enforcement Division Praise or Dissatisfaction, please select the appropriate option and use the form that appears.

“Officer Complaint” is an allegation of an act or omission which, if proven true, would amount to officer misconduct.

We take all complaints against our Conservation Police Officers seriously and appreciate your taking the time to give us this type of feedback so that we can better serve the public.

Option #1: Receive a Callback from Immediate Supervisor

Unprofessional behavior and demeanor type complaints are reported to the officer’s immediate supervisor who is in frequent contact with them and is responsible for their performance evaluations. For review and tracking purposes, that supervisor is required to complete and file a report for these complaints to both O.P.S. and senior command leadership.

Option #2: Submit a Formal Complaint Form to Internal Affairs

This option involves you filing a written formal complaint because of a serious allegation(s), such as a constitutional rights violation. O.P.S. Internal Affairs Investigators handle this type of complaint, due to the Code of Virginia (Law Enforcement Officers Procedural Guarantee Act).

Note: If you are uncertain which option to use, you may start with OPTION #1 by talking with the officer’s immediate supervisor to discuss your complaint. If after this discussion, you are satisfied with the explanation and assistance provided, then no further action on your part is necessary. However, if your complaint remains unresolved, you may still use OPTION #2.

After you submit the following formal complaint form, you will receive a written acknowledgement of your complaint and can expect a representative of the Law Enforcement Division to contact you in the near future to discuss this matter.

The Law Enforcement Division is committed to conducting thorough administrative investigations to determine if there are problems with the actions and performance of our personnel. Please be aware that to complete this process in an impartial manner requires our Office of Professional Standards (O.P.S.) Internal Affairs Investigators to interview, in person, all witnesses to the event that resulted in the complaint, whenever possible. Internal Affairs Investigations are completed within 30 days of assignment to an investigator, except when an extension is granted due to extenuating circumstances.

The investigative report is then forwarded to O.P.S. and reviewed to ensure all relevant facts were documented and investigated in order to bring the matter to a logical conclusion.

After management reaches a final disposition, appropriate action is taken. The disposition of the complaint is a confidential personnel matter and is not released to the complainant.

If an investigation indicated the employee committed an offense necessitating disciplinary action, such action taken will be commensurate with the severity of the offense. Mitigating circumstances may also be considered. The disciplinary action may involve counseling, remedial training, suspension, demotion, or termination.

“Praise” is an expression of satisfaction with a policy, practice, procedure, philosophy, service level, or legal standard of the Law Enforcement Division.

This form provides our constituents an opportunity to voice their positive satisfaction in the way we do business as a Law Enforcement Division through the appropriate channels.

“Officer Commendation” is an opportunity to recognize superior public service.

Thank you for taking the time to recognize Conservation Police Officer(s) and/or our Law Enforcement Staff. We value this feedback and will certainly ensure the employee is aware of your acknowledgment, and that it is taken into consideration in their performance evaluations and in other opportunities to formally recognize them. In addition to this commendation being given to their immediate supervisor, it will be shared with command staff and senior leadership and maintained within the Office of Professional Standards (O.P.S.). This kind of positive feedback gives us an example of quality public service to share with others.

“Dissatisfaction” is an expression of dissatisfaction with a policy, practice, procedure, philosophy, service level, or legal standard of the Law Enforcement Division.

Sometimes an issue/concern may not be related directly to the level of professional service you received from a Conservation Police Officer(s), but to other factors. This form provides our constituents an opportunity to voice these concerns through the appropriate channels.