The Iron Mountain Lake Police Department encourages citizens to report legitimate complaints of inadequate police services or police misconduct. Under Missouri State Statute, persons are granted the right to fair and efficient police protection. Formal complaints against Police Department employees are accepted in writing and signed by the person making the complaint. You may make an appointment with the Internal Affairs Office to arrange and complete that process.
Just as citizens who are arrested must be notified of the charges against them, Police Officers must also be notified and provided a copy of the complaint prior to any potential employment action.
​
In order to file a complaint you must contact Captain Wosley.
​
The Department does not accept complaints later than 60 days from the date of the incident related to the complaint, with exception to very special cases such as criminal misconduct, or when good cause can be shown making the complaint sooner was not possible or practical. The complainant must be 17 years of age or older. Complainants under the age of 17 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian who will sign the complaint form and be considered a co-complainant.
​
-
Complaint forms must be notarized.
​
Complaints must be made by a person who “has standing:” i.e., the actual recipient of police misconduct, a person who witnesses an unlawful act by a Police Officer, or parents/legal guardians making complaints on behalf of minors.
​
If the complaint is investigated by a detective, the complainant will be contacted to give a formal (verbal) statement regarding the allegations of the complaint. This statement is mandatory in order to have the complaint investigated. Should a complainant fail to provide a formal statement or should the detective be unable to contact the complainant in order to schedule the formal statement, the complaint will be closed without further investigation.
Once the investigation has been completed and the results reviewed, the complainant will be notified by the department as to the results. There are four potential dispositions:
-
​The complaint may be classified as Unfounded. This would indicate that the complaint was not based on fact, as shown by the investigation, or the incident reported did not occur.
-
The complaint may be classified as Not Sustained. This would indicate that the investigation disclosed insufficient evidence to support the allegations in the complaint.
-
The complaint may be classified as Sustained. Complaints that are sustained show that there is sufficient evidence to support the allegations.
-
The complaint may be classified as Exonerated. For a complaint to be classified as exonerated, the investigation must show that while the action reported did occur, the actions were reasonable, proper, and lawful.
​
When a complaint is classified as Sustained, the complainant will be notified if disciplinary action was taken against the department member. Missouri law prohibits the department for releasing the specific nature of the discipline.
