Compliment or Complaint

In order to fulfill our mission, the Lake City Police Department offers a variety of community oriented services which are intended to enhance the safety and quality of life for persons who may visit, reside in, or work in the City of Lake City.  These services are provided by a dedicated, well-trained and professional staff.

Every day, our members are ready to provide police assistance to the resident population of over 18,000 city residents and workers, as well as the large influx of people who travel through or who live in the surrounding communities and seek the services, shopping and entertainment within the city.  As a result, this Department responds to more than 37,500 calls for service annually.

Our community, and the level of police service we provide, can best be supported through your involvement and interest in our activities.  Biased based profiling in the Lake City Police Department is totally unacceptable.  Any person may file a complaint with the Department if they feel they have been stopped or searched based on racial, ethnic, or gender-based profiling.

As a means of enhancing employee performance and improving police/community relations, the Lake City Police Department encourages questions, recommendations and comments from citizens who have observed a need for improvement in our service or recognized the excellent performance of our agency or its members.

How to commend an officer or member

• Ask to speak to the member's supervisor or a member of the Office of Professional Standards and verbally communicate your praise.
• Write a letter to the Chief of Police describing the member's performance. The letter may be submitted by snail mail 225 NW Main Blvd Suite 102 Lake City, FL 32055 or email the Chief of Police
• Letters received by the Chief of Police will be forwarded to the member in order to extend your gratitude, and a copy will be placed in the member's personnel file.  Their performance will also be recognized by the Chief of Police in Department reports and may be considered for other awards or community recognition.

How to file a complaint
It is normally the responsibility of the member's immediate supervisor to speak with you about your complaint.  If the member's immediate supervisor is not readily available or you cannot arrange to meet with them because of scheduling, you may speak with the member's Lieutenant.
You may also file a complaint by writing a letter directly to the Chief of Police or by contacting the Office of Professional Standards.  Your letter or verbal complaint will be given appropriate attention.  If you do not directly speak with a supervisor about your complaint, you will be contacted later by either a supervisor or an investigator from the Office of Professional Standards.

In order to ensure that complaints against our employees are properly and thoroughly investigated, it may be necessary for you to provide a sworn statement to an investigator about the member's actions; particularly if the nature of your complaint concerns a serious act of misconduct.  However, in many cases, the member's immediate supervisor will be able to effectively handle your complaint without taking a sworn statement.  The supervisor will then take the appropriate steps to correct the member's performance or alleviate your concerns.  In many instances, an inquiry done by the member's supervisor and an explanation about police policy or procedures may assist you in understanding the member's actions.

The Lake City Police Department encourages citizens to file complaints regarding employee misconduct, but complaints must be made in good faith.  Should the Department discover a complainant or witness made false statements concerning the incident, the Department may contact the State Attorney's Office regarding prosecution.

The investigation of your complaint
If your complaint or concern cannot be resolved to your satisfaction by the member's immediate  supervisor, or it involves a violation of department regulations, it will be immediately forwarded to the Office of Professional Standards for review and investigative assignment.  The investigation of your complaint will be handled by either an investigator with the Office of Professional Standards or a supervisor in the member's chain of command.

All complaints involving violations of department regulation, regardless of their source, will be accepted and investigated.  The extent of the investigation depends upon the nature of the complaint, whether the source of the information can be identified or the accuracy verified, and the seriousness of the allegations and the number of persons involved in the incident.

In all cases, the Office of Professional Standards will officially record your complaint and ensure it is properly investigated.  You will be contacted by the assigned investigator or a supervisor for additional information and to arrange for a formal interview, if necessary.

After the allegations have been fully investigated, the Chief of Police will determine what action, if any, should be taken to resolve the complaint.  You will be notified of the results of the investigation, regardless of the outcome.