Policy Text
Policy
1003Garden Grove Police Department
Policy Manual
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2022/05/20, All Rights Reserved.
Published with permission by Garden Grove Police
DepartmentGrievance Procedure - 1Grievance Procedure
1003.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE
It is the policy of this department that all grievances be handled quickly and fairly without
discrimination against employees who file a grievance whether or not there is a basis for the
grievance. Our Department’s philosophy is to promote a free verbal communication between
employees and supervisors.
1003.1.1 GRIEVANCE DEFINED
A grievance is any difference of opinion concerning terms or conditions of employment or the
dispute involving the interpretation or application of any of the following documents by the
person(s) affected:
•The employee bargaining agreement (Memorandum of Understanding)
•This Policy Manual
•City rules and regulations covering personnel practices or working conditions
The grievance process as established is not applicable to matters covered by Garden Grove
Municipal Code Section 2.44.390 - Appeal Procedure.
Grievances may be brought by an individual affected employee or by a group representative.
Specifically outside the category of grievance are complaints related to allegations of
discrimination or harassment subject to the Discriminatory Harassment Policy. Also outside the
category of grievances are personnel complaints regarding any allegation of misconduct or
improper job performance against any department employee that, if true, would constitute a
violation of department policy, federal, state, or local law as set forth in the Personnel Complaint
Policy.
1003.2 PROCEDURE
Except as otherwise required under a collective bargaining agreement, if an employee believes
that he or she has a grievance as defined above, then that employee shall observe the following
procedure:
(a)Attempt to resolve the issue through informal discussion with immediate supervisor.
(b)If after a reasonable amount of time, generally seven days, the grievance cannot be
settled by the immediate supervisor, the employee may request an interview with the
Bureau Commander of the affected bureau or bureau.
(c)If a successful resolution is not found with the Bureau Commander, the employee may
request a meeting with the Chief of Police.
(d)If the employee and the Chief of Police are unable to arrive at a mutual solution, then
the employee shall proceed as follows:
Garden Grove Police Department
Policy Manual
Grievance Procedure
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2022/05/20, All Rights Reserved.
Published with permission by Garden Grove Police
DepartmentGrievance Procedure - 21.Submit in writing a written statement of the grievance and deliver one copy to
the Chief of Police and another copy to the immediate supervisor and include
the following information:
(a)The basis for the grievance (i.e., what are the facts of the case?).
(b)Allegation of the specific wrongful act and the harm done.
(c)The specific policies, rules or regulations that were violated.
(d)What remedy or goal is being sought by this grievance.
(e)The employee shall receive a copy of the acknowledgment signed by the supervisor
including the date and time of receipt.
(f)The Chief of Police will receive the grievance in writing. The Chief of Police and the City
Manager will review and analyze the facts or allegations and respond to the employee
within 14 calendar days. The response will be in writing, and will affirm or deny the
allegations. The response shall include any remedies if appropriate. The decision of
the City Manager is considered final.
1003.3 EMPLOYEE REPRESENTATION
Employees are entitled to have representation during the grievance process. The representative
may be selected by the employee from the appropriate employee bargaining group.
1003.4 GRIEVANCE RECORDS
At the conclusion of the grievance process, all documents pertaining to the process shall
be forwarded to Administrative Services Bureau for inclusion into a secure file for all written
grievances. A second copy of the written grievance will be maintained by the City Manager’s office
to monitor the grievance process.
1003.5 GRIEVANCE AUDITS
The Training Manager shall perform an annual audit of all grievances filed the previous calendar
year to evaluate whether or not any policy/procedure changes or training may be appropriate to
avoid future filings of grievances. The Training Manager shall record these findings in a confidential
and generic memorandum to the Chief of Police without including any identifying information from
any individual grievance. If the audit identifies any recommended changes or content that may
warrant a critical revision to this policy manual, the Training Manager should promptly notify the
Chief of Police.