Reporting Substandard Service

Police Services strives at all times to be respectful, courteous and professional in all communications and contacts with the community we serve. Through our partnership, we are dedicated to fulfilling our mission to make the University of Memphis a safer place to learn, work, live and visit.

To ensure the integrity of the department while protecting the rights and interests of both community and department members, it is the policy of Police Services to investigate all reports of substandard service and complaints against its employees. Any person who witnesses, or has direct knowledge of, substandard service or employee misconduct may file a complaint with Police Services. Anyone who files a complaint will be treated in a respectful and professional manner.

Police Services views all complaints against its employees seriously, and pledges to actively pursue investigations into reports of substandard service, including allegations of misconduct. For this reason, community members must ensure that their complaint is based on fact and must provide the department with all of the facts to the best of their knowledge. Deliberately providing false information could result in administrative disciplinary action (for students, faculty and staff), civil and criminal legal proceedings.

Complaints may be made in person, in writing, or by telephone. To file a complaint/report of substandard service you may:

• Come by our office in the Zach Curlin Garage (next to Parking) and meet with a supervisor; or
• Submit a written complaint by letter. Letters may be delivered to our office or mailed to:
  
  • Colonel Ray Craft
    The University of Memphis
    Police Services
    100 Zach Curlin Parking Garage
    Memphis, TN 38152
• E-mail your complaint. E-mail should be sent to the attention of Colonel Ray Craft at police@memphis.edu; or
• Call 678-4357 (HELP) and ask to speak with a supervisor.

Complaints should be filed through an "on duty" supervisor. In the event a supervisor is not immediately available, all department employees are required to accept the complaint and forward it to a supervisor immediately.

Anonymous complaints may be filed through Police Service's Silent Witness program; however, anonymous complaints may limit the department's ability to take appropriate action.

Complaints may be filed at any time. Police Services is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. To facilitate investigations, complaints should be made immediately after the alleged misconduct.

Note: A disagreement over the validity of a criminal charge or traffic citation is NOT a complaint. Such disagreements or legal issues must be resolved through the appropriate court.

All complaints will be investigated, and the outcome will be based upon the facts and impartial evidence.

At the conclusion of the investigation, complaints will be classified into one of the following dispositions:

• Unfounded
  
  • The alleged act or incident did not occur, or the affected employee was not involved.
• Exonerated
  
  • The act or incident occurred, but the actions taken were justified, lawful and proper.
• Not Sustained
  
  • The investigation failed to discover sufficient evidence to prove or disprove the allegation.
• Sustained
  
  • The evidence was sufficient to prove the allegation.

Depending on the nature and severity of the misconduct, sustained allegations may result in one of the following disciplinary actions: additional training, counseling, reprimand, suspension, demotion, or termination.