Complaint Process

Under the direction of the Chief of Police, the Professional Standards Unit is supervised by Sergeant Kasey Cowell. This unit provides protection to the public with regard to improper police actions, and protection to the police department and its employees against unwarranted accusations of misconduct. Professional Standards exists to safeguard the high degree of integrity required to provide quality police services to the community and to maintain public trust.

Professional Standards conducts internal affairs investigations and also performs other duties for the Chief of Police, such as ensuring compliance with the Texas Police Chiefs Association Foundation Best Practices Accreditation Program, maintaining requirements mandated by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE), conducting background investigations of potential employees, and coordinating in-service training.

The Cleburne Police Department is committed to delivering the highest level of public safety services possible to our citizens and visitors to our community. Employees, both sworn police officers and non-sworn civilian personnel, are carefully selected and given the best training possible in order to provide this service. However, you may have occasion to lodge a complaint about the actions of a member of the Cleburne Police Department. In order to be responsive to you we are providing information about how complaints should be made, how they are investigated, and their results.

If you see a police department employee perform outstanding work, please let us know about it. You can commend an employee by writing a letter to the Chief of Police at:

Cleburne Police Department
302 W. Henderson St.
Cleburne, Texas 76033

  1. How Complaints are Made

It is the policy of the Cleburne Police Department to courteously receive and investigate complaints concerning its employees.

A person desiring to make a complaint may contact Professional Standards or an on-duty police supervisor at 817-645-0972.  

Persons desiring to make a complaint must understand the importance of submitting their complaint in writing with their signature affixed. The Texas Government Code, Section 614.022, provides that all complaints to be considered on law enforcement officers must be in writing and signed by the person making the complaint.  

Persons complaining orally, or by email, will be requested to submit their complaint in writing with their signature affixed if the complaint is on a law enforcement officer.  

A person refusing to make a written complaint or who makes an anonymous complaint does not necessarily prevent an investigation from being initiated on the facts provided, but does cause the matter to be more difficult to process to an effective conclusion.  

Upon receipt of a complaint, the investigator will contact the complainant to inform them that the complaint will be investigated and discuss in detail the allegation(s) made against the employee.

A complaint should be made in a timely manner after the incident so that the details are readily available to the investigator. The Texas Government Code, Section 614.022, provides that disciplinary action may not be taken against an officer unless the complaint is investigated and there is evidence to prove the allegation of misconduct. The Texas Local Government Code, Section 143.052, provides that the Police Department’s receipt of the complaint, investigation, and beginning of discipline of the officer must be completed within 180 days after the occurrence of the act. For criminal matters, the time frame is 180 days from the discovery of the act.

Professional Standards will conduct a thorough investigation of your complaint and you will be notified of the results, and of any action taken. Professional Standards does not investigate complaints concerning traffic citations or criminal charges when an individual’s guilt or innocence is the only issue in question. These cases will go through the appropriate court for disposition.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact the police department's non-emergency number at 817-645-0972 at any time and ask to speak to an on-duty police supervisor.

  1. False Complaints
  1. How Long Do Investigations Take?
  1. What Happens When a Complaint is Found to be True?
  1. What Happens if the Complaint is Not True?
  1. Options After a Decision is Made
  1. Racial Profiling Complaints
  1. Forms and Links