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Commendation/Complaint Process

It is the goal of the Dallas County Hospital District Police Department to provide the highest level of law enforcement/community-oriented services to the patients, visitors and employees of Parkland Health. The Professional Standards Unit exists to ensure the department complies with all federal, state and local laws, as well as district and departmental policies. The DCHD Police Department welcomes feedback, either positive or negative, from the community for which it serves.

Positive feedback in the form of emails, personal notes and verbal expressions will be forwarded to those deserving team members. Commendations can be emailed to: DCHD-PD@phhs.org. When negative feedback is received, the department will thoroughly investigate all accusations of wrongdoing against individual officer(s) or the department. The department has a two-level complaint process by which community members may seek resolution for alleged wrongdoing.

Types of Complaints

There are 2 types of complaints that may be made against members of the police department:

Informal Complaints: Informal complaints typically involve employee behavior, such as rudeness, offensive language, or procedural errors. These complaints are usually investigated by the immediate supervisor. Informal complaints may be made in person, by telephone, or by letter.

Formal Complaints: Formal complaints typically involve more serious alleged acts, such as criminal behavior or other serious allegations of misconduct. These complaints must be reduced to writing (as required by the Texas Legislature) with a notarized signature from the complainant.

Informal: Contact the supervisor on duty by calling the DCHD Police Department Communications division at (469) 419-7777, internal 7-7777. The supervisor may be able to quickly resolve your concerns. If not, the supervisor will assist you through the process of filing your complaint so that a more formal review of the complaint can occur.

Formal

  1. Download the Police Complaint Form PDF  
  2. Fill out a Complaint Form available in the DCHD Police Department lobby, 5200 Harry Hines Blvd, Logistic Building (1st floor), or
  3. Call the Professional Standards Division at (469) 419-0552, internal 7-0552.

Note: Please take the completed form to the DCHD Police Department.

Formal Complaints to be in Writing

The following laws govern the complaint process against a peace officer in the State of Texas: The Texas Government Code § 614.022 states: Complaint to be in Writing and Signed by Complainant To be considered the formal complaint must be:

  1. In writing, and
  2. Signed by the person making the complaint.

Notices of Complaints to be Given

The Texas Government Code § 614.023 states: Copy of Complaint to be Given to Officer or Employee

  • A copy of a signed complaint against a law enforcement officer, firefighter or police officer shall be given to the officer or employee within a reasonable time after the complaint is filed.
  • Disciplinary action may not be taken against the officer or employee unless a copy of the signed complaint is given to the officer or employee.

The Investigation Process

Once the complaint has been assigned to an internal investigator, several actions will commence. The investigator will interview all available witnesses and subjects involved in the complaint. The investigator will review all available documents, audio, and video recordings related to the complaint, as well as any other pertinent available information.

Several investigation techniques are available to be utilized by the investigator including the use of a polygraph. In most circumstances, no employee will be required to take a polygraph examination until the person making the complaint has taken and passed his or her polygraph exam.

Internal investigations regarding employee complaints are taken very seriously and will be completed in a timely manner. There are many variables involved specific to each complaint; therefore, an estimate of when the investigation will be concluded and the complaint resolved is difficult to predict.

Once the complaint has been fully investigated, the findings are summarized into a report. The report is then forwarded to the Chief of Police for review and a final disposition.

If an allegation is sustained, the person making the complaint will be informed by a letter from the Chief of Police. The letter will include the investigations findings and the subsequent appropriate action that was taken if applicable.

All complaints and resulting investigative findings are confidential. Parkland Hospital’s policy and rules regulate access to sensitive information.

Complaint Dispositions

The final disposition of each allegation in the complaint will be classified in one of the following ways:

  • Sustained - The allegation is substantiated;
  • Not sustained - The allegation is not substantiated and there is not sufficient evidence to prove or disprove the allegation.
  • Unfounded - The allegation is false or not factual;
  • Exonerated - The incident occurred but the member acted lawfully and properly; or
  • Policy Failure – The evidence supports a finding of misconduct, but the actions of the officer were consistent with policy. Or the evidence does not support a finding of misconduct, but the actions of the officer were in violation of policy.