Item B: Police Auditor Report - Laserfiche WebLink

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~ks to empower people by exploring options and, choices that can be made, helping them to understand the ,process and avenues 'for possible reSolution. Advocates must complete training that familia~izes them with the Internal Affairs process and allows them to ass~st complainants through' the t~aditional complaint process and/or during alternative ~omplaint resolutions. f"~- W Support Person: Any person (family member/guardian, friend, or community-based advocate such as a caseworker) who,by the compl~inant's invitation, accompani,es him/her during different portions of , the ,complaint process. Depending on the situation, the support person's role may range from, a silent . witness to more active assistance. C;ompleted Mediation: Signified by mediator as a good faith effort by both parties to resolve a conflict in a fair and respectful manner allowing the parties to understand each other's perspective on the incident; the parties mayor may not have, come to agreement or satisfactory conclusion. Good Faith Effort. As determined by the mediator, means active participation in mediation and adherence to agreed upon ground rules. ' ' , .:. Case El'igibility A fundamental issue to be addressed in the creation of a police complaint mediation 'program is which cases will be considered eligible for' alternative resolution. This decision is significant in part because ' it relates directly to the organization's ability to effectively trlanage employee performance. In the early dev~lopment ~f police mediation programs, in'cluding Eugene's eXi,sting system, all ,"serious" misconduct cases required 'a formal inves~gation w~th the potential for discipline. The trend for newly developed" and revised police complaint mediation programs is toward fewer restrictions on the types ) of c;ases that are eligible 'for mediation. The net effect is to broaden the pool of complaints available for alternative resolution on the front-end, recognizing that the type of behavior alleged is - not always the best measure for determining suitability for mediation. Case-by:.case review enables careful consideration of additional complaint characteristics, such as the demeanor and desired outcomes of the involved 'parties, so that mediation may be offered when there is 'the best chance for a . satisfactory resolution. Additionally, such review facilitates selection of cases that have the most potential to build program.,credibility through the direct and positive experiences of the participants. Per the Police Commission's model for'complaint intake, the auditor. would be responsible for receiving and classifying community member complaints about police empl,oyees. Part of the auditor's responsibility would be to identify' cases that are suitable for alternative resolution and if so, offer that option to the complainant. If the complainant agrees, the. auditor would notify the employee's supervisor and Internal Affairs that the complainant is willing to pursue alternative resolution in lieu- of a formal complaint. Because the Chief of Police is responsible for employee discipline decisions, the chain of command may preclude this option. For example, it might be decided that since the involved officer recently mediated a similar case, an internal investigation of the subsequent complaint is more appropriate. MATT acknowledged that there is a body of misconduct allegations that are not appropriate for mediation. It recommended in lieu of a categori:cal exclusion, the following types of cases generally , not be considered for mediation: criminal allegations, allegations of officer corruption, allegations of threats, intimidation and harassment, excessive force complaints where there is documented property , damage and/or physical injury, and third-party complaints. There ~re ,situations where subsequent to Paae 4