Citizen Complaints

It is the policy of the Shenandoah Police Department to receive and promptly investigate citizen complaints concerning the behavior and official acts of our employees. This should always be done in a courteous and respectful manner. Public confidence and trust is determined by the quality of the internal affairs response to allegations of misconduct by the agency or its employees. The agency, employees, and citizens all benefit from an honest, open, and objective policy for the reception and adjudication of complaints. While this administration is committed to maintaining a professionally disciplined police department, this administration shall always observe an employee's constitutional rights.

The Citizen Complaint Process

Any person who believes that a police officer employed by the City of Shenandoah has engaged in misconduct, including bias-based or racial profiling, may file a complaint with the Chief of Police. No person shall be discouraged, intimidated or coerced from filing such a complaint or discriminated against because they filed such a complaint. The Shenandoah Police Department shall accept and investigate citizen complaints alleging bias-based or racial profiling by its police officers in the same consistent manner as other citizen complaints of police misconduct. Such complaints shall be in writing, including the identity or description of the officer, date, time, place and details of the alleged incident of racial profiling.

Bias-Based / Racial Profiling Prohibited

Police officers of the City of Shenandoah are strictly prohibited from engaging in bias-based or racial profiling in traffic contacts, field contacts, and in asset seizure and forfeiture efforts. Bias-based profiling of individuals based solely on a common trait of a group, such as race, ethnicity, or gender is legally, morally, and ethically wrong. 

Based on Detention Decisions

The prohibition against racial profiling does not preclude the use of race, ethnicity, or national origin as factors in a detention decision. Race, ethnicity, or national origin may be legitimate factors in such a detention when used in part as a description of a criminal suspect or witnesses for whom a police officer is searching. Officers will not discriminate against any person based upon race, creed, color, age, gender, religion, national origin, physical impairment, or sexual orientation, in the performance of their official law enforcement duties. 

Learn more about reporting from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement and from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

View the Internal Affairs Personnel Complaint form (PDF).