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Newport News Police Department
ADMINISTRATIVE MANUAL
ADM - 225 – GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES
Amends/Supersedes: ADM-225 (11/15/2021) Date of Issue: 02/10/2025
I. GENERAL
Employees with a complaint or dispute about their employment with the Newport News Police Department
may seek resolution through the grievance procedures established by City Ordinance or State Code. [22.4.1]
II. POLICY
A. Newport News Police Department employees can initiate a grievance through the City of Newport News
Grievance Procedures (City Code Chapter 2, Article V). City ordinance § 2-182 defines grievances as a
complaint or dispute of an employee relating to their employment, including but not limited to:
1. Formal disciplinary actions, provided that the actions can be grieved, per PAM-1000 Standards of
Conduct.
2. The application of personnel policies, procedures, rules and regulations.
3. Discrimination based on race, color, creed, religion, political affiliation, age, disability, national origin
or sex.
4. Retaliation initiates as a result of:
a. The employee’s use of or participation in the grievance procedure.
b. An employee, while complying with local, state or federal law, reports a violation of the law, seeks
to change the law or reports an incidence of fraud, abuse or gross management.
B. City ordinance § 2-183 establishes activities management reserves exclusive rights; therefore,
complaints related to these topics are not grievable. Examples include (see the ordinance for the full list):
1. Salary, job classification and general benefits.
2. Hiring, promotion, transfer, assignment and retention of city employees.
3. Failure to promote except where the employee can show established promotional policies or
procedures were not followed or applied fairly.
4. Performance evaluations. These include FUEL check-ins, probationary evaluations (see ADM-295
Performance Evaluations & Career Development), and on-the-job performance documentation.
C. Sworn officers of the Police Department are entitled to procedure guarantees as outlined in Chapter 5 of
Title 9.1 of the Code of Virginia (i.e., Law Enforcement Officers Procedural Guarantee Act).
NOTE: Sworn officers must elect one of the procedures to address their grievance. They cannot
initiate both procedures for the same grievance.
D. The City’s Human Resources department oversees the grievance process and maintains all grievance
documentation. The Office of the Chief of Police provides administrative support, and the Internal Affairs
Division commander represents the department unless the Chief of Police designates another position.
III. PROCEDURE
A. The grievance process has four steps. Section 2-186 allows employees to skip the first three steps when
grieving disciplinary actions. NNPD personnel will adhere to the documentation and timelines outlined
in the city’s grievance procedure.
B. For this policy, the Assistant Chief of Police in the employee’s chain of command serves as the immediate
supervisor of Step 1's grievance procedure.
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