Takoma Park Police Internal Affairs Complaint Investigations (2022)

Per TPPD: The Takoma Park Police Department’s policy directives require investigations of all complaints against the Department or its employees, and that annual statistical summaries of such investigations by the internal affairs function be made available to the public. The following is a summary of complaints filed for calendar year 2022.

Six complaints were recorded in 2022 with four subjected to internal investigations and two subjected to administrative review. Two complaints were submitted by community members and four were submitted internally by an employee, the Chief of Police, or a member of Command Staff. The majority of complaints received in 2022 were initiated by police department employees. There were two compliments submitted using the on-line option thanking officers for their handling of calls for service.

Subjects of the complaints in 2022 include a total of eight sworn officers. More than one officer may be listed in a complaint or may be involved in more than one incident. One civilian employee was the subject of a complaint. Three out of the six complaints resulted in sustained findings of improper conduct. Disciplinary measures were warranted and taken in two cases and disciplinary action is pending in the other.  Three complaints were unfounded,

The 2022 statistical comparison with 2021 indicates a decrease, with 13 complaints received in 2020 compared to six in 2021, which is approximately a 54 percent decrease in complaints compared to that in 2021. All Takoma Park Police sworn officers wear body-worn cameras. Body-worn camera footage was essential in determining if the complaint is to be unfounded or provided evidence to support the allegations based upon the review of the camera footage. In 2022, officers had a total of 10,576 contacts with the public, which included calls for service, self-initiated calls*, and traffic stops. Three of the six complaints received in 2022 involved contacts with members of the pubic. The complaints represent 0.00028% of all contacts Takoma Park Police officers had with the public in 2022.

Residents are reminded that the purpose of making a complaint against a police employee is detailed on the City of Takoma Park web page by selecting the Government tab and then selecting the Police tab. The information is also available on flyers available to the public in the police department’s lobby. Complaints and compliments can be filed online through the webpage.

*Self-initiated calls: These types of calls are initiated by a police officer and given to dispatch, i.e., loiterers, suspicious subjects, parking, etc.