Police Complaints Intake Process in Law Enforcement Agencies: An Analysis in King County, Washington

Abstract

The matter of police-community relations has been a constant strain on the trust between officer and civilian. In King County, Washington, there are over 40 different police agencies serving over two million people. Each agency operates with their own policies and agendas for civilian complaints toward officer conduct. In determining the best practices for standardizing this process, research study will analyze several municipal police departments complaint procedure using a mixed method research design. Differences are expected between department’s ability to conform to federal and state legal minimums, provide accurate and attainable online information, have knowledgeable employees, and how these associate to demographic variables. Evaluating policies and practices will provide feedback for improving police-community relations and more accurately evaluate their own policies through the conduct complaint process.