Police officer complaint review process terms
Routing decision possible outcomes
Referral
If your complaint is not appropriate for us to investigate, we can send it to the correct agency.
We will refer your complaint to:
-
An outside agency if the involved officer(s) may work for that agency
-
MPD's Internal Affairs Division (IAD) for City employees or if your complaint is about a civilian/non-sworn MPD employee
-
Human Resources if your complaint involves a personnel matter
-
Other agencies as needed
Dismissal
Cases are dismissed for many reasons and at different steps in the process.
We may dismiss your case because your complaint:
-
Does not involve a current MPD officer
-
Does not describe a violation of MPD policy and procedure
-
Is not supported by the available evidence
-
Is a duplicate of another complaint
Non-disciplinary corrective action
We send certain cases right to MPD for possible non-disciplinary corrective action. We do not then go through the entire process. This possible action can include coaching and training the involved officer(s).
We only send cases that meet the following criteria:
- Your complaint is about a Category A violation, as found in MPD’s Discipline Matrix.
- The involved officer(s) have not violated the same policy or a similar one in the last year.
Even if your complaint meets these criteria, we are not required to send the case to MPD. If we do not send the case to MPD, we complete an investigation.
For cases sent to MPD for review, MPD decides if they take corrective action and send the decision back to OPCR.
Grievance and arbitration
Grievance
When the Chief decides to discipline an officer, sometimes the officer or the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis (POFM) do not agree with the decision.
They can file a grievance stating they do not agree with any of the following:
- Type of discipline
- Category of discipline
- Amount of discipline
- Ways the discipline can be served
- Reasons for the discipline
A grievance is optional and is started by the POFM.
Arbitration
Arbitration is the third step in the grievance process. It may happen if the POFM and the Chief’s Office do not agree during step two of the grievance process.
Arbitration is optional and started by the POFM.
A neutral third party or arbitrator hears the matter and makes a written decision.
More related terms
- The Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis (POFM) - This is the bargaining unit for MPD officers.
The Chief's possible decision outcomes
Definitions
Sustained - The investigation was unable to determine by a preponderance of the evidence whether the alleged misconduct occurred.
Not sustained - The investigation showed clear and convincing evidence that the alleged conduct did not occur or did not involve the accused officer.
Unfounded - The investigation showed clear and convincing evidence that the alleged conduct did not occur or did not involve the accused officer.
Exonerated - The investigation determined by a preponderance of the evidence that the alleged conduct occurred but did not violate policy.
If an officer is exonerated, the Chief can ask for examination of the policy to see if it needs to be changed. This is called “Policy failure.”
More related terms
- Preponderance of the evidence standard - It is more likely than not that the misconduct happened.
- Clear and convincing evidence standard - It is highly likely that the misconduct happened. This standard is higher than the preponderance of the evidence standard.
Police officer complaint review process
Contact us
Russell Fujisawa
Associate Director
Office of Police Conduct Review
Address
City Hall350 Fifth St. S.Room 239
Minneapolis, MN 55415
Office hours
8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Monday – Friday