Internal Affairs / Complaints

In New Jersey, every state, county, and local law enforcement agency must establish a process for disciplining officers who commit misconduct or otherwise violate the agency’s rules. Generally speaking, the agency’s “internal affairs” (IA) unit, which operates outside the typical chain of command, is responsible for investigating misconduct and recommending discipline to the agency’s leaders.

In 1991, the Attorney General issued Internal Affairs Policies & Procedures (IAPP), which established statewide standards for the operations of IA units in New Jersey. Five years later, in 1996, the Legislature went a step further, requiring that each law enforcement agency in New Jersey adopt its own policies consistent with IAPP. The document has been updated several times since then.

The current version of IAPP, which went into effect on November 15, 2022, is known as the “November 2022 IAPP” and includes an appendix of fifteen sample forms and documents. The first two of these sample forms are both intended for public use: a “civilian complaint information sheet,” which explains how to file an IA complaint (Appendix A), and a standardized “internal affairs report form” for civilians seeking to file a complaint (Appendix B). These documents have been translated into Arabic, Chinese, Haitian, Hindi, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. The remaining appendices (Appendix C to Appendix O) are all intended for internal use by law enforcement.

Please use the following page to file an online internal affairs complaint, locate the aforementioned forms, and browse the annual reports from previous years.

This website is one method of filing an internal affairs complaint. If you do not wish to use the online form, you can submit a complaint in person at our headquarters, call 973-720-2300, or email the department at Police@wpunj.edu.

Civilian Complaint Information Sheet

Arabic
Chinese
English
Haitian
Hindi
Korean
Polish
Portuguese
Spanish
Tagalog
Vietnamese

Internal Affairs Report Form

Arabic
Chinese
English
Haitian
Hindi
Korean
Polish
Portuguese
Spanish
Tagalog
Vietnamese
  • INTERNAL AFFAIRS REPORT FORM

  • This form is to be used only for complaints about law enforcement officers working for the William Paterson University Police Department. Complaints about local or county law enforcement officers should be directed to the employing department.

  • Civilian Complaint Information Sheet

  • The William Paterson University Police Department is committed to providing law enforcement services that are fair, effective, and impartially applied. It is in the best interests of everyone that your complaint about the performance of an individual officer is resolved fairly and promptly. The William Paterson University Police Department has formal procedures for investigating your complaint. These procedures are designed to ensure fairness and protect the rights of both citizens and law enforcement officers:


    1. Reports or Complaints of officer/employee misconduct must be accepted from any person, including anonymous sources, at any time.


    2. Complaints shall be accepted regardless of age, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or immigration status of the complaining party.


    3. Your complaint will be sent to a superior officer or a specially trained internal affairs officer who will conduct a thorough and objective investigation.


    4. You might be asked to help in the investigation by giving a detailed statement about what happened or providing other important information or documents.


    5. All complaints against law enforcement officers are thoroughly investigated. You will be kept informed of the status of the investigation and its ultimate outcome, if requested, and you provide contact information. The exact discipline imposed is confidential, but you will be advised of the ultimate finding, namely :

    a. Sustained: A preponderance of the evidence shows an officer violated any law; regulation; directive, guideline, policy, or procedure issued by the Attorney General or County Prosecutor; agency protocol; standing operating procedure; rule; or training.


    b. Unfounded: A preponderance of the evidence shows that the alleged misconduct did not occur.


    c. Exonerated: A preponderance of the evidence shows the alleged conduct did occur, but did not violate any law; regulation; directive, guideline, policy, or procedure issued by the Attorney General or County Prosecutor; agency protocol; standing operating procedure; rule; or training.


    d. Not Sustained: The investigation failed to disclose sufficient evidence to clearly prove or disprove the allegation.

    6. If our investigation shows that a crime might have been committed, the county
    prosecutor will be notified. You might be asked to testify in court.


    7. If our investigation results in an officer being charged with a violation of department rules, you might be asked to testify in a departmental hearing.


    8. If our investigation shows that the complaint is unfounded or that the officer acted properly, the matter will be closed.


    9. Internal affairs investigations are confidential and all disciplinary hearings shall be closed to the public unless the defendant officer requests an open hearing.


    10. You may call William Paterson University Police Department at (973) 720-2300 or email Police@wpunj.edu with any additional information or any questions about the case.

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Internal Affairs Summary Reports And Major Discipline Reporting Forms

The following are the links to the Internal Affairs Summary Reports and the Annual Major Discipline Reporting Forms for the William Paterson University Police Department: