Police Department | Internal Affairs

Internal Affairs

Internal Affairs Bureau effectively and efficiently investigates in a fair and unbiased manner allegations of misconduct by members of the Fresno Police Department in order to determine a basis for appropriate administrative response.

California law requires every police agency to have a procedure for investigating citizen complaints, and to have a written description of the procedure available for review. The law also stipulates that these internal investigations, reports, and findings shall be retained for at least five years. Internal investigations are administrative investigations, which are civil in nature, and not criminal. Criminal investigations differ in that they are designed to determine violations of law, administrative investigations deal with the question of compliance or noncompliance with Departmental rules, policies, and regulations. Citizens have a right to expect fair and impartial treatment from law enforcement personnel. Therefore, it is imperative that any police misconduct be reported and corrected as quickly as possible.

All complaints are initially reviewed by a supervisor. If the complaint cannot be resolved or the supervisor believes misconduct may have occurred, the complaint will be thoroughly investigated. The accused officer’s supervisor will typically handle the initial receipt of complaint by interviewing the complainant. Allegations of misconduct which are serious in nature, i.e., excessive force or criminal acts committed by a police department member, are usually investigated by the IA Bureau after the initial receipt of complaint is taken.

Investigation Process
The Internal Affairs Bureau consists of a secretary, five investigator sergeants, and one lieutenant. Once a complaint has been forwarded to the IA Bureau, a thorough investigation is conducted. The IA sergeant will typically retrieve police reports, medical records, photographs, and other physical evidence if available. The sergeant will interview witnesses and the accused officer(s) and may also re-interview the complainant if needed. The sergeant will prepare a detailed administrative report which outlines his/her investigation. Staff officers in the accused officer’s chain of command then review the investigation report for completeness and thoroughness. If the investigation determines that employee misconduct occurred, the Chief of Police or designated staff officer will determine the appropriate discipline or corrective action. Police department employees may receive training or may be counseled, reprimanded, fined, suspended or terminated, depending on the degree of misconduct and the disciplinary history of the employee.

Once the investigation is completed, the police department will mail the complainant a letter advising them of the investigation’s findings. However, California State law prohibits disclosure of what discipline the employee received. If the investigation takes longer than thirty days to complete, the Department will notify the complainant of the status of the investigation, and keep them updated every thirty days thereafter until the completion of the case.

Lodge a Complaint
To lodge a personnel complaint against a member of the Fresno Police Department, a citizen may complete and mail in a citizen complaint form provided in PDF format.

Citizen Complaint Brochures

Citizen Complaint Forms

Fresno Police Department
2323 Mariposa
8 AM–5 PM
(559) 621–7000

Request a mail-in complaint form
Write or call:

Fresno Police Department
Internal Affairs
P.O. Box 1271
Fresno, CA 93715-1271
(559) 621-2730

Mail-in complaint forms
Pick up a mail-in complaint form at one of the following locations:

City of Fresno Office of Independent Review
2440 Tulare Street, Suite 100
Fresno, CA 93721
(559) 621-8617

Hinton Community Center
2385 S. Fairview
8 AM–5 PM
(559) 621-6630

Sal Mosqueda Community Center
4760 E. Butler
8 AM–5 PM
(559) 621-6600

Ted C. Wills Community Center
770 N. San Pablo
8 AM–5 PM
(559) 621-6720

Stone Soup Fresno
1345 E. Bulldog Lane
M-SAT, 9 AM-5 PM
(559) 224-7613

Fresno City Hall, City Manager’s Office,
2600 Fresno Street
(559) 621-7770

Records Front Counter—Police Department Headquarters
2323 Mariposa
File an online complaint form.