This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.
On March 24, 2018, the Longmont Observer worked with Longmont Public Safety to gain access and share what we termed 'police misconduct data.'
According to Deputy Chief Jeff Satur, Longmont Public Safety uses the term Professional Standards Investigations (PSI) conducted by Public Safety's Professional Standards Unit (PSU).
The PSU manages and investigates complaints against department employees to ensure the integrity of the department. They answer directly to the Police Chief and are granted the authority to conduct investigations without interference from any employee. The duties of the PSU include conducting an impartial investigation of complaints, facilitating prompt disciplinary action, identifying unclear or inappropriate policies or procedures, and identifying conditions which may contribute to misconduct, exposure to liability or poor efficiency.
Longmont Public Safety believes that "the public has the right to expect efficient, fair, and impartial law enforcement, and employees must be protected against false allegations of misconduct. Therefore, complaints must be thoroughly investigated and properly adjudicated both for the protection of the public and the employees."
The PSIs are not only conducted by the PSU but also a Citizen's Review Panel. This panel is comprised of community members and members of police staff all appointed by the City Manager.
*Note* Longmont Public Safety and Longmont City Manager, Harold Dominguez, will meet in the later part of 2019 to replace members of this committee whose terms will end in 2020.
"We implemented the professional standards review panel more twenty years ago. We wanted to involve our community in our department, in our professional standards investigations and think this panel has served our community with honor. Our department values their input, thoughtfulness, and commitment to truth. This is an incredible community partnership. This panel has helped us be more transparent and helped build trust with our community," says Satur.
The determinations made by this review committee can be classified in one of the following ways:
- null
- Exonerated - The alleged action occurred but was justified, lawful and proper or the employee was not a party to the alleged misconduct.
- Sustained - The allegation was supported by a preponderance of the evidence to indicate the employee committed an act which was unlawful, improper or in violation of Department procedures.
- Not Sustained - There is insufficient evidence to clearly prove or disprove the allegations.
- Unfounded - The complainant admits to false allegations. The allegations were false, not factual. The incident did not occur.
- No Finding - The investigation was terminated because the complainant dropped the complaint or failed to cooperate with the investigation and it was not otherwise possible to return a finding other than not sustained.
According to Satur, the primary PSI conducted in Longmont's Public Safety department is car crashes.
"As a whole, our staff literally drives tens-of-thousands miles per year, and yes, we do sometimes have an accident in which we damage a patrol car. When those rare instances occur, it is fully investigated AND there are times when we issue our officers traffic tickets for their driving. I think this is yet another example of Chief Butler and our Command Staff holding all us accountable for our actions," stated Officer Garrett Boden in an email to the Longmont Observer in 2018.
Police department employees are required to "maintain a working knowledge of the Department’s Policy Manual and Standard Operating Procedure Manual and all laws and ordinances in force in the City of Longmont," according to Satur. If an incident of improper action should occur within the police department, the PSU presumes the employee's familiarity with the policy, procedure, or the law.
To see the police misconduct records sent to us by Longmont Public Safety, please read the spreadsheet below. The Longmont Observer will not disclose the names of the individuals involved in the PSIs.
