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Newport News Police Department
ADMINISTRATIVE MANUAL
ADM-260 – RECEIPT OF COMPLAINTS
Amends/Supersedes: ADM-260 (11/28/2018) Date of Issue: 12/25/2023
I. GENERAL
A. Definitions
1. Complaint - A complaint is one or more allegations made by any person regarding a Newport News
Police Department (NNPD) employee, alleging that the employee has engaged in misconduct or
behaved inappropriately. (See also: PAM-1000 Standards of Conduct).
2. Complainant - The person making the allegation.
B. The department and individual employees benefit from the thorough investigation and resolution of
complaints. Therefore, the NNPD investigates all complaints of employee misconduct or inappropriate
behavior received from any source outside or inside of the department, including anonymous sources.
[26.2.1]
C. Conduct and performance issues, as they relate to police personnel, normally rest within the established
chain of command. This policy does not negate the normal supervisor/employee relationships that deal
with minor performance, procedural or disciplinary matters. [26.3.1(a)]
D. The Internal Affairs Division (IAD) is responsible for investigating misconduct involving allegations such
as physical force, firearm discharges, violation of civil rights, harassment by officers, violations of
departmental policy and procedure, and investigations assigned by the Chief of Police. [26.3.1(b)]
E. The Axon Standards module is used to document complaints and track the review and investigation
process.
II. PROCEDURE
A. All employees will courteously assist members of the public who want to file a complaint against an
employee. All employees are prohibited from discouraging any individual from filing a complaint. [26.2.4;
82.2.2(b)]
B. Any employee receiving a complaint (in person, by letter, electronically, or over the telephone) from a
member of the public will immediately notify an on-duty supervisor. If an on-duty supervisor is not
immediately available, the employee will obtain the individual’s contact information and advise them
that a supervisor will contact them. The employee will forward their contact information to the on-duty
supervisor.
C. The supervisor who receives the complaint is responsible for documenting the complaint the day it is
received by: [26.3.1(a)]
1. Completing a Citizen Complaint entry in Axon Standards;
2. Supervisors may refer someone to the department’s Commendations & Citizen Complaints section of
the webpage if they would prefer to submit the complaint online.
3. Once completed, the supervisor will route the complaint to the IAD commander.
D. The IAD commander reviews all complaints and determines if they are considered a "major" or "minor"
issue as set out in ADM-270 Administrative/Internal Investigations. Infractions determined to be "minor"
may be returned to the involved employee's precinct/division commander for follow-up. [26.3.1(a)]
E. The IAD commander and the Chief of Police will be notified immediately (through the appropriate chain
of command) whenever a complaint of a serious nature has been received against an employee or any
incident in which an employee’s actions could result in media attention or a severe negative impact on
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