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Policy 1003Santa Monica Police Department Santa Monica Police Department Policy Manual Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2020/12/08, All Rights Reserved. Published with permission by Santa Monica 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 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 outlined under a member's respective Memorandum of Understanding (POA, MEA, STA, ATA), if an employee believes that he or she has a grievance as defined above, the member will observe the following procedure: (a)Attempt to resolve the issue through informal discussion with the immediate supervisor. (b)If the grievance cannot be settled by the immediate supervisor, the employee shall submit the grievance in writing to the second level supervisor, stating the nature of the grievance, the specific polices, rules or regulations that were violated, and the desired solution. (c)The second level supervisor shall meet with the grievant and his/her representative(s). Following the meeting, the second level supervisor shall give a written decision to the grievant; however, if the second level supervisor does not have the authority to resolve the grievance, it shall be forwarded to the Department Head or appropriate authority. Santa Monica Police Department Santa Monica Police Department Policy Manual Grievance Procedure Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2020/12/08, All Rights Reserved. Published with permission by Santa Monica Police DepartmentGrievance Procedure - 2(d)The Department Head shall meet with the grievant and his/her representative(s). Following the meeting, the Department Head will give a written decision to the grievant. (e)If the grievance is not resolved, the grievance will be forwarded to the Director of Human Resources. The Director of Human Resources will meet with the grievant and his/her representative(s). Following the meeting, the Director of Human Resources will conduct an investigation and forward any recommendations to the City Manager. (f)The City Manager shall render a written decision, which shall be 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 the City's Human Resources Department. 1003.5 GRIEVANCE AUDITS The Deputy Chief 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 Deputy Chief 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 Deputy Chief should promptly notify the Chief of Police.