Policy Text
University of California, San Francisco
Police Department General Orders
3.42 Complaints: Administration and Processing
3.42.3 Complaint Records (Revised: 5/1/23)
A. All completed complaint investigation reports and records, both original and redacted,
will be submitted to the PSD Commander. The records will be maintained in a separate
and confidential complaint investigation file, in a locked file cabinet under the PS D
Commander’s control and as electronic files in LEFTA, the Department’s cloud -based
records management system , as follows :
1. Records on investigations resulting from a complaint by a member of the Public
against a sworn member of the Department in which there was a sustained
finding of misconduct shall be retained for a minimum of 15 years
2. Records on investigations resulting from a complaint by a member of the Public
against a sworn member in which there were no findings of misconduct or a
compla int by a member of the Public against a non -sworn member of the
Department will be retained for a minimum of five years
3. Records on investigations resulting from a complaint made by a member of the
Department will be retained for a minimum of two years
4. Complaint investigation records will be purged by the end of the month in which
the minimum retention period ends, unless:
a. The Chief of Police or his/her designee identifies that a useful purpose
exists for maintaining the complaint record
b. There i s a request for production or pending litigation
5. Complaint investigation records purposefully retained beyond the minimum
retention period will be purged when there is no longer a useful purpose for
retention , a request for production or pending litigat ion.
B. A Master Complaint Log listing complaint documents by number, name of the
member(s), name of the complainant, date and the nature and disposition of the
complaint will be maintained for statistical, training, risk management and research
purposes.
C. Sustained complaint d iscipline letters will be included in the accused member’s personnel
file and retained as follows:
1. Documentation of discipline resulting from a sustained complaint by a member
of the Public against a sworn member of the Department will be retained for a
minimum of 15 years
2. Documentation of discipline resulting from a sustained complaint by a member
of the Public against a non-sworn member of the Department will be retained for
a minimum of five years
3. Documentation of discipline resulting from a sustained complaint by a member
of the Department will be retained for a minimum o f two years
University of California, San Francisco
Police Department General Orders
4. After the end of the minimum retention period , documentation of discipline
resulting from a sustained complaint may be removed from a member ’s
personnel file at his/her written request, as stipulated in the Personnel Policies
for Staff Members or applicable collective bargaining agreement unless there is a
request for production or pending litigation.
D. Documentation of a ny complaint or portion of a complaint made by a member of the
Public that is determined to be unfounded, exonerated or frivolous shall not be kept in a
member’s general personnel file but in a separate file maintained by the PSD
Commander. Additionally, any reference to the complaint, a portion of the complaint or
the separate file shall be removed from the member’s general personnel file.
1. These actions will be taken prior to any official determination of promotion,
transfer or disciplinary action .