COMMITMENT TO SERVICE

The Lorain Police Department is committed to providing the people of our community with quality law enforcement and to treating citizens courteously, helpfully, and responsively. We believe integrity is the basis for community trust, and we set high standards for the personal and professional conduct of all our employees.

The Department recognizes that occasionally, citizens may not be pleased with the police service provided. The nature of the job means that some people will be unhappy: traffic citations are issued, people get arrested, and officers must maintain public peace and safety. Other times, misunderstanding causes dissatisfaction; citizens may not always be fully aware of how laws are interpreted and enforced, of the authority and discretion granted to police officers, or of Department policies and procedures concerning officer conduct. Finally, since police officers are human beings, they can make mistakes, exercise poor judgment, or act unprofessionally.

At the Lorain Police Department, we adhere to high standards of moral, ethical, and professional conduct. Your cooperation helps guarantee that we consistently meet those standards. Any citizen with a question or complaint about police service in our community is invited to contact the Department to bring those concerns to our attention. The following instructions will ensure that your concerns are handled promptly and professionally.

QUESTIONS OR INQUIRIES

If you wish to inquire about laws, policy, procedure, or the handling of a particular police matter, please stop by the Lorain Police Department at 100 West Erie Avenue, Lorain, Ohio 44052, or call the Department anytime at (440) 204-2100.

A supervisor will address your concerns. If a supervisor is not immediately available, the dispatcher will take your name and phone number and have a supervisor contact you as soon as possible. Due to the nature of police work, calls sometimes cannot be returned immediately, so we appreciate your patience and understanding.

COMPLAINTS OR ACCUSATIONS

If you have a serious complaint against the Department or any of its employees, you are encouraged to make that complaint in person at the police station. A supervisor will hear your complaint and can assist you in filling out the complaint form if necessary. However, you are not required to meet with a supervisor and may take and complete a complaint form on your own.

Once completed, return the complaint form to the Department in a sealed envelope addressed to the Office of Professional Standards. The Office of Professional Standards will notify you when they have received your complaint.

The Office of Professional Standards will thoroughly investigate your complaint. The accused employee(s) can respond to the allegations as part of the investigation process. In addition, the assigned investigator may need to contact you for additional information about the incident.

Minor complaint investigations are normally completed in 30 days, and major complaint investigations typically take 30 to 60 days unless circumstances necessitate additional time.

Once the investigation is complete, a supervisor from the Office of Professional Standards will notify you in writing of the disposition of the complaint.

Suppose the allegations are so severe the accused employee is subject to discipline to the extent of being suspended, demoted, or terminated. In that case, you could be asked to take a truth verification exam at the Department’s expense and/or testify at the employee’s administrative hearing. You could be subpoenaed into court to testify if the allegations result in criminal action against the employee.

Any person who believes their allegations were not taken seriously, investigated thoroughly, or resolved satisfactorily may submit a letter stating their concerns to the Lorain Safety Director.

COMMENDING SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE

If you wish to commend the actions of any employee of the Lorain Police Department, you may:

• • ?Ask to speak with the employee’s supervisor to communicate your praise verbally
  • Write a letter or e-mail to the Chief of Police explaining your praise
  • Use Use THIS PAGE TO COMMEND AN EMPLOYEE

The Chief of Police will forward any commendations received for any Lorain Police Department employee to the employee and may include them in his/her permanent personnel record.
Mail letters of commendation to:
Chief James P. McCann
100 West Erie Avenue
Lorain, Ohio 44052