March 25, 19xx

To: Lt. Xxxxx

From: Chief Dispatcher Xxxxx

Re: CITIZEN COMPLAINT

At about 1600 hours on March 22, 19xx I received a telephone call from Xxxxx Xxxxx, xxx-xxxx. He complained that he telephoned the police department at about 1300 hours to report a person sleeping on the sidewalk near Oak and Main St. He said it's an on-going problem for which he's being trying to find a solution.

Xxxxx said the female Dispatcher who answered seemed uninterested in obtaining details of the call. For example, Xxxxx said, the intersection is off-set, and the Dispatcher didn't ask him which corner the person was on or what business he was near. Xxxxx said he had to volunteer the information.

Xxxxx also said that no officer ever arrived to handle the situation. He then called back at about 1600 hours, spoke to Dispatcher Xxxxx, who said she could not find the previous incident. Xxxxx said he then became upset that his first call had been "tossed away."

I assured Xxxxx that the police department recorded each and every incident reported to us and dispatched officers to each incident. I also said that we expected dispatchers to obtain full and sufficient information about each and every incident. I told Xxxxx that I would investigate the circumstances of his first call and take any necessary action. I asked Xxxxx if he wanted me to report back on the results of my investigation, and he said he did not.

I then checked the logging recorder tapes for the period of 1100 to 1330 to see if I could find the call that Xxxxx made to the police department. I located a conversation between Dispatcher Xxxxx and a man who worked on Oak near Main St., and reported a person "sleeping on the sidewalk." Xxxxx said, "Oak St. What's the cross" and the man said it was Main St. Xxxxx said, "OK, We'll send someone...," when the caller interrupted with, "Don't you want to know what corner it's on?" Without waiting for an answer, the caller told Xxxxx he was on the northeast corner.

Xxxxx asked, "Is it a bench or something?" and the caller replied he was on the sidewalk. Xxxxx told the caller, "OK. We'll move him along," and the caller asked, "Is there anything else that can be done?" Xxxxx and the caller then had a short conversation, with the caller saying that it was a "regular thing. Xxxxx told the caller, "I'm sure the officer's aware of problems on his beat." The caller said, "Well, I don't know." Xxxxx then said, "OK" and disconnected.

I searched CAD for a police or fire incident reflecting the incident that Xxxxx reported. I could find no entry. In fact, no CAD incidents were entered between 1316 and 1330 hours. I listened to channel 2 for 45 minutes after Xxxxx's call, but did not find any radio traffic from Xxxxx to a beat officer about the incident.

Xxxxx's complaint about Xxxxx's interest in the situation appears to have some validity. However, he interrupted her, so it's impossible to know if she intended to ask him additional questions. Even so, she failed to obtain a description of the person, which would have been appropriate for this type of incident. She also didn't offer any suggestions about how to solve the on-going problem, nor did she suggest that the beat officer visit Xxxxx to work on a permanent solution. Her remark that, "I'm sure the officer's aware of problems on his beat," was inappropriate and sounded sarcastic. Lastly, she failed to enter a CAD incident as a result of the call, which violates BPD policy.

Although Xxxxx did not make a formal complaint about this incident, the circumstances of the call and lack of incident entry warrant further investigation.

I have enclosed a copy of the logging recorder tape of the call. Please let me know how you would like to proceed.