ADMINISTRATION DIVISION PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS
The primary responsibility of Professional Standards is to ensure the integrity of the Owatonna Police Department and monitor the relationship between the community and the department, striving to create mutual trust. Professional Standards serves as a method of internal accountability by receiving, processing and investigating complaints concerning police conduct. These complaints may allege violations of criminal law, department policy or officer performance and may originate from outside sources or from within the agency. The Owatonna Police Department makes every effort to act with professionalism and integrity in everything we do. However, in the event a complaint against an officer is received, an internal affairs investigation is initiated in an attempt to determine whether the act of misconduct occurred and disciplinary or corrective action is necessary or if the officer acted in a justified, lawful or proper manner. If criminal wrongdoing is alleged, the Owatonna Police Department often requests an outside law enforcement agency complete the criminal investigation. In 2011, there were no allegations of criminal activity brought against officers of the Owatonna Police Department. There were twenty-three internal investigations conducted involving twenty-nine officers which resulted in nine disciplinary actions, including five oral reprimands and four written reprimands. Disciplinary action can include oral and written reprimands, suspensions, demotions or terminations. Ten of the investigations exonerated the officer(s), meaning that after a fair preponderance of the evidence, the act or acts complained of did not occur; or the agency member named in the complaint was not involved in the alleged misconduct; or the acts that provided for the complaint occurred; however, the investigation revealed the act(s) were justified, lawful or proper. Two of the investigations were not sustained, meaning the investigation failed to disclose sufficient evidence to prove or disprove the allegations made in the complaint. And finally, in two of the investigations, the complainants voluntarily withdrew their formal complaints against the officers.
“The basis of effective government is public confidence, and that confidence is endangered when ethical standards falter or appear to falter.” John F. Kennedy Address to Congress, April 27, 1957
OWATONNA POLICE DEPARTMENT 2011 ANNUAL REPORT
