Frequently Asked Questions // Police Department // UCI

What is a complaint?

A Community Complaint consists of any allegation of misconduct or improper job performance against any UCIPD employee that, if true, would constitute a violation of Department policy, University policy, federal, state, or local law. Personnel complaints may be generated internally or by the public.

Personnel complaints shall be classified in one of the following categories:

Community Complaint – A complaint initiated by a person who is not an employee of the UCIPD against a Department member, of allegations that, if true, would constitute misconduct, a violation of department policy, University policy, federal, state, or local law. Such complaints will be investigated under the supervision of the Office of Ethics & Compliance and/or the Police Accountability Board (PAB). The Office of Ethics & Compliance will share the redacted investigation report and findings with the PAB. The PAB, after review of the investigation report, will provide the Chief of Police with recommendations on the findings. If the Chief of Police is the subject of the complaint, then the recommendation will be made to the appropriate Vice Chancellor for the Division which oversees the police department who will provide the final disposition of matters regarding the Chief of Police.
Internal Complaint – A complaint initiated by any member of the police Department that, if true, would constitute misconduct, a violation of department policy, University policy, federal, state, or local law. Such complaints may be investigated by a Department supervisor of a rank greater than the accused employee depending on the seriousness and complexity of the investigation, as determined by the Chief of Police or their designee.

Allegations or inquiries of employee conduct which, even if true, would not constitute a violation of any of the above may be handled informally by a Department supervisor and shall not be considered a personnel complaint. Such inquiries generally include clarification regarding policy, procedures, or the response to specific incidents by the Department.

Complaints involving allegations of sexual violence, sexual harassment, or discrimination on a protected basis will be referred to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity (OEOD) for review and resolution.

A complaint may be filed in-person, online, or by telephoning our department at (949) 824-5223.

A complaint should be made as soon as possible after an incident.

The Office of Ethics & Compliance will evaluate each formal complaint for information necessary to conduct an investigation and proceed as follows, and in accordance with the law.

If additional information is needed, the Office of Ethics & Compliance may request information from the complainant to the extent that the identity of the complainant is known. If the complainant is anonymous and there is insufficient information to warrant conducting an investigation, the Office of Ethics & Compliance will close the file and no investigation will be conducted.
If the Office of Ethics & Compliance determines there is insufficient information to conduct an investigation, the allegations themselves demonstrate on their face that the acts complained of were proper, or the nature of the complaint is not suitable for investigation and review by the body, the Office of Ethics & Compliance will notify the complainant, the Chief of Police, and the PAB of the disposition in writing citing the specific reasons for the determining that the complaint will not be investigated.
If the Office of Ethics & Compliance determines there is sufficient information and cause to investigate a community complaint, they will assign the complaint to an investigator, external to the police department, to initiate an investigation and notify the complainant and the Chief of Police in writing of the complaint’s referral to investigation.

Yes, you will receive a letter advising you that the investigation has been completed and the result of the finding.

If the complaint is sustained, the nature and extent of the disposition is determined by the Chief of Police. Under California law, only the Chief of Police may impose corrective action and/or discipline of law enforcement personnel.

UCIPD maintains the last five years of complaints and their outcomes on its Complaints Dashboard.

In addition to the UCIPD Complaints Dashboard, the Office of the President (UCOP) also maintains a Data Dashboard for all ten UC campuses.

Questions, concerns, or additional information regarding your complaint should be directed to Chief Liz Griffin (liz.griffin@uci.edu)

Community complaints are investigated by an external investigator determined by the Office of Ethics & Compliance.

Community Complaint investigations are generally considered confidential (Penal Code 832.7 and Evidence Code section 1043). There are certain exceptions to this confidentiality that include (1) those pertaining to officer-involved shootings, (2) those pertaining to uses of force resulting in death or great bodily injury, (3) those pertaining to sustained findings of certain types of dishonesty, and (4) those pertaining to sustained findings of sexual assault against members of the public.

When any public safety officer is under investigation and subjected to interrogation by his or her commanding officer, or any other member of the employing public safety department that could lead to punitive action, the interrogation is required to be conducted under the requirements of 3300 of the California Government code or the Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights Act

See Confidentiality of Personnel Files above. If a Community Complaint involves one or more of the exceptions listed, then records may be released through a Public Records Request filed with the UC Irvine Public Records Office.