On the Beat is written monthly by DeKalb Police Sgt. J. Obester. Lt. J.A. Ridlin is Tucker’s liaison to the DeKalb County Police Department and can be contacted by email at jaridlin@dekalbcountyga.gov or by phone at (678) 597-9040.
In his November 2022, On the Beat article, former Lieutenant - now Captain - Berg began a series he informally titled “How to Use Your Police Department”. After purchasing a vacuum cleaner, Lt Berg thought of the idea of writing an instruction manual for our police department. He intended this informal “manual” to help our citizens better understand and utilize our services. For this month’s article, I’d like to continue this series and specifically address when things go wrong. In other words, what to do when things may seem “broken” after an encounter with one of our officers.
As we all know, police officers are not perfect. They make mistakes just like everyone else in this imperfect world. Fortunately, most of our officer’s mistakes are minor and can be easily corrected with a telephone call or email to the officer.
Before contacting an officer, there is one important caveat you need to know. As a front-line supervisor here at Tucker Precinct, I occasionally receive emails and telephone calls from citizens wanting to complain about an officer. After contacting the complainant, many of these conversations reveal citizens simply wanting to dispute their ticket or their arrest. These well-intentioned citizens often proclaim to me their innocence to a specific charge e.g., “I was only going a few miles over the speed limit!” or the popular “Those weren’t my pants I was wearing!”
After listening to many of these concerns over the years, in most cases I kindly refer these individuals to the court system. The Dekalb County Court system is the proper venue to argue one’s guilt or innocence, not with an officer or his supervisor. During these conversations, I also advise the citizens to consult with a personal attorney. After an arrest is made or a ticket issued by an officer, in most circumstances it is up to the prosecutor to determine if the case is ultimately to be continued or will be dismissed.
Nevertheless, there are occasions when the officer may not have been as professional or courteous as he or she should have been. There are also occasions where the officer incorrectly documents the incident in his or her police report or perhaps did not document the incident at all. In these circumstances, a telephone call to the officer or his or her supervisor is appropriate.
To expedite a resolution, it is important to get to the proper division or police precinct where that officer is assigned. If you were unable to obtain the officer’s name or badge number after an encounter with law enforcement, feel free to call our 911 Communications Center. Our non-emergency number is (678) 937-2852. Please have the location, date, and time of the call so that the operators can research it and tell you the name and precinct assignment of the officer you encountered.
Once received, a complaint or concern will be thoroughly investigated by the appropriate division or precinct supervisor. This investigation may include taking a written statement from the individual officer, obtaining statements from any witnesses, and nowadays, reviewing the recorded body camera footage of the incident.
After an investigation is completed, if an officer is found to be in violation of a DKPD policy, corrective action will be administered. These corrective actions can range from verbal counseling (which is still documented in the officer’s file) to suspension without pay or, potentially, can result in the officer’s termination. Fortunately, it is the policy of our Department to follow the doctrine of progressive discipline, with the goal of improving both the performance of the individual officer and - if needed - update any Departmental policies and procedures that may be found deficient.
At the DeKalb County Police Department, we are also fortunate to have a very robust Office of Internal Affairs. This office, which reports directly to the Chief of Police, is staffed by supervisors and detectives who have shown exemplary performance throughout their careers. Our IA Detectives are individuals with very high standards for themselves and their fellow officers. These detectives are tasked with investigating the more serious complaints against officers that may come in. These allegations may include any unauthorized use of physical force, individual or group corruption, violations of the law committed by an officer, and any other major violations of departmental policies, rules, or procedures. The IA investigations are extremely thorough and professional. Occasionally, the findings might reveal the need to remove an officer from our employment.
In the end, while we certainly cannot offer a warranty with our work, the Department does have numerous policies and procedures in place to offer recourse to our citizens when we are made aware of any concerns about our officers. Ultimately, the goal of our complaint investigations is to ensure that we are providing efficient, fair, and impartial public safety services. It is my sincere hope that, for the most part, we are on track with this goal.
