Policy Text
University of California, San Francisco
Police Department General Orders
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5.16 Organized Crime and Vice Control: Operations
5.16.17 Informal Inquiries (Revised: 5/12/23 )
A. An informal inquiry is defined as a complaint alleging minor issue(s) that have been
addressed and resolved to the satisfaction of the complainant. Informal inquiries may
serve as an early warning indicators that can allow supervisors to address potential
problems before they become serious.
Examples of matters that may be considered the subject of an informal inquir y include:
1. Matters of public concern that do not allege misconduct or neglect of duty by an
employee of the Department
2. Misunderstandings
3. Minor issues of discourtesy or other conduct unbecoming a Department member
4. Misinformation of Department policies and procedures.
Examples of matters that may NOT be considered the subject of an informal i nquiry include
allegations of:
1. Use of force
2. Violation of Constitutional rights
3. Neglect of duty
4. Dishonesty
5. Sexual harassment or discrimination
6. Racial or ethnic harassment or discrimination
7. Violation of gifts policy
8. Insubordination.
Under PC § 13510.8, a llegations against a sworn member of any of the following also
may NOT be considered the subject of an informal inquiry:
1. Dishonesty related to the reporting, investigation or prosecution of a crime or to
the reporting or investigation of misconduct by a peace officer or custodial officer
2. Abuse of power, including intimidating witnesses, knowingly obtaining false
confessions or knowingly making a false arrest
3. Physical abuse, including excessive or unreasonable use of force
4. Sexual assault
5. Demon strating bias on the basis of race, national origin, religion, gender identity
or expression, housing status, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability or
other protected status
6. Acts that violate the law and are sufficiently egregious or repeate d as to be
inconsistent with a peace officer’s obligation to uphold the law and respect the
rights of members of the public
7. Participation in a law enforcement gang
8. Failure to cooperate with an investigation into potential police misconduct
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Police Department General Orders
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9. Failure to intercede when present and observing another officer using force that is
clearly beyond that which is necessary.
B. To classify a complaint as an informal inquiry, it is necessary to:
1. Confirm that no allegations of serious misconduct or neglect of duty were made
2. Verify with the complainant that all of the allegations have been addressed to
his/her satisfaction
3. Inform the complainant that the matter will be classified as an informal inquiry
and that, as such, will not be the subject of further investigation
4. Confirm that he/she does not object.
If the complainant objects, the complaint will not be classified as an informal inquiry and
a formal investigation will take place as outlined in General Order 3.42.4, “Complaint
Intake, Acknowledgement and Investigation.”
A matter will not be handled as an informal inquiry and a formal
c o m p l a i n t investigation will be opened when a member of the public alleges
misconduct or neglect of duty that may result in discipline or expresses a desire
for an investigation to be conducted.
C. All informal inquiries shall be documented in an Informal Inquiry Report (IIR). To
prepare an IIR:
1. Fill out a UCSF Police Department Complaint or Compliment Form, including
a synopsis of the issue(s) of concern , actions taken and the resolution
2. Verify the matter meets the requirements to be classified as an informal inquiry ,
as listed in Section B above
3. Check the b ox by “This form constitutes an Informal Inquiry Report .”
Supervis ors shall initiate corrective action as appropriate and note the action taken or to
be taken on the IIR.
D. Any follow -up on allegations contained in an IIR should be c o m p l e t e d no later than
30 days a f t e r the date the inquiry was received. If the follow -up specified in an
informal inquiry is not completed during the shift during which it was receive d, the
IIR will be forwarded to the appropriate supervisor, who will be responsible for
ensuring that follow -up is completed within the 30 -day period .
E. The completed IIR will be placed in the complaint file , which will be marked “Resolved”
and forwarded to the OPHD Agent for review . A copy of the file will be sent to the PSD
Commander.
F. The PSD Commander will review any IIR forms received, ensure that the
information is entered into the Early Warning System and keep a copy of the IIR for a
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Police Department General Orders
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period of two calendar years from the date of the inquiry. All IIRs will be purged after
two years, pursuant to Government Code § 34090.
G. Once an informal inquiry has been completed and the matter resolved, the PSD
Commander will notify the employee of the conclusion of the inquiry.
H. After an informal inqui ry has been resolved, the contents and resolution of the i nquiry
may not be