Most complaints are 'courtesy complaints'

In Colorado Springs, police officers accused of serious misconduct end up getting disciplined more than half the time.

Minor violations are a different story.

When somebody complains about an officer's tone or demeanor, a police supervisor is more than 90 percent likely to side with the cop, records show.

But according to police Internal Affairs, which monitors the Police Department's version of a Complaint Department, there is a serious and sustained effort to review every objection and take corrective action.

"I'm very proud to say that our grades are pretty good in that area," said Deputy Chief Pete Carey, who oversees Internal Affairs.

Police say complaints are filed in a small percentage of the more than 200,000 annual calls they have received in recent years. Recent figures show the department averages about 1.3 complaints per 1,000 calls.

Most are what police call "courtesy complaints" and revolve around someone's perception that an officer was rude or unprofessional.

They include a recent complaint about an officer who threatened to "face plant" a suspect who was ignoring his orders and another in which a cop allegedly assured a man that he wasn't a "faggot" before searching his waistband.

Others appear innocuous but end up getting taken just as seriously, police said.

One concerned an officer "who was chomping his gum a little too loudly," said Colorado Springs police Lt. Kirk Wilson, an Internal Affairs supervisor.

All but a handful of these are routinely dismissed as unverifiable "he said-she said" conflicts, records show. In 2007, police supervisors upheld just 15 of the 319 minor complaints they received from the public.

The rest were classified as "unfounded," "not sustained" and "exonerated."

Even when no sanctions are imposed, police say they strive to counsel officers on how things could have gone better.

Officers are routinely reminded to consider their word choice and body language and bear in mind that their conduct both off duty and on helps shape people's impressions of the Police Department.

The stiffest penalty for minor complaints is what police call a "supervisory discussion record" - essentially a written account prepared for the record when a supervisor gives an employee a verbal warning.

Others may receive additional training, such as a day in the evidence room for a refresher on evidence collection procedures.

The more serious complaints, called Level II complaints, receive a more intensive review and carry possible consequences ranging from a written reprimand to unpaid suspension and termination.

There were 54 Level II complaints in 2007, of which 29 were "sustained" by investigators, or about 54 percent. They were reported at the rate of .2 violations for every 1,000 calls, police said.

The job of investigating them often falls on the officer's supervisors. A sergeant or a lieutenant reviews the allegations and interviews any witnesses. Their findings are ultimately sent through the ranks to one of three deputy chiefs.

The Internal Affairs unit monitors the process, ensuring that proper steps are taken for each investigation, Wilson said.

The three investigative sergeants who work in Internal Affairs also investigate some complaints themselves, usually when the case is too time-intensive for a supervisor to handle alongside other duties, Wilson said.

The I.A. investigators may also be brought in to review the probe if the complainant is dissatisfied with the outcome.

Police say the high rate of dismissed complaints indicates how seriously police take complaints. Police supervisors accept some complaints that might be brushed off by other police departments, Wilson said, including anonymous complaints.

Often, it's the role of Internal Affairs to explain to the public how cops think and the policies they must follow.

In the case of the officer who warned he would "face plant" the suspect, for example, police say it's important to consider the circumstances.

The officer was called to a bar fight and found the assailant hiding in the alley. The man refused to come out with his hands up. Instead, he remained with his back turned and hands hidden from view. He nervously eyed the officer as if searching for a plan of escape, or attack.

Given the scenario, the officer's language was understandable, if sharp-edged, Wilson said.

"It wasn't a threat. It was a fact," he said.

Said Carey: "These are volatile situations, and tensions run high. We get inserted into a bad situation in the first place, and we have to make a decision on that scene."

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