9(d) - Disciplinary Action and Appeals

DISCIPLINARY ACTION

2.1 There are 4 types of disciplinary action that can be given

• Reprimand - A formal expression of disapproval from an act that you have committed/omitted. A reprimand should be seen to be a correction rather than a punishment. A Reprimand stays on your record for 30 days.

• Written Warning - After 90 days you can contact the Office of Professional Standards asking for the disciplinary to be removed from your record, best practice is to apologize for your actions and state why you wish it to be removed.

• Demotion

• Dishonorable Discharge - Dismissal should only be considered if the employee has been corrected for their deficiencies first, this can be by other forms of disciplinary such as reprimands and written warnings. The exception to this is gross misconduct.

• 2.2 Reprimands can be issued by Police Supervisors (Employees ranked Sergeant or above) if they have witnessed misconduct first hand whilst on duty (more information can be found on the Supervisor policy

• 2.3 The Chiefs of Department and the Head of Professional Standards may impose disciplinary action on any employee regardless of rank and division. The Complaint Committee may impose below disciplinary actions after a successful vote on an Internal Affairs Complaint. If the Complaint Committee wishes to issue a demotion or a dishonourable discharge, they must seek approval from any one of the Chiefs of Department.

• 2.4 The Chiefs of Department may remove any form of disciplinary action from an employee if they have reason to believe it is unjust or unfair.

• 2.5 Professional Standards Members may impose disciplinary action following a server punishment issued to on-duty PLPD personnel regardless of whether any internal policy has been broken to ensure close monitoring of the quality of PLPD personnel.

DISCIPLINARY ACTION APPEAL

3.1 There are 4 grounds you can submit an appeal on:

• Policy & Procedure, if the actions taken against you were not legal and/or following policy & procedure.

• Challenge evidence, if you feel that there is a lack of evidence or the evidence is invalid to prove the allegation.

• Challenge the disciplinary and/or punishment, if you feel that the disciplinary and/or punishment proposed is unfair.

• Giving new evidence, if you have evidence which is new to the case and was not shown before.

3.2 You have 30 days from when you received the Notice of Disciplinary Action to create an appeal. The only exception to the time limit is if you have new evidence to provide.

3.3 To make an appeal, you must submit a Helpdesk ticket to the Professional Standards category, telling them that you wish to appeal.

3.4 The appeal process should be impartial and should be handled by individuals who were not involved in the complaint/investigation process and/or outcome. However, if that is not possible, then it must be dealt with fairly.

3.5 Officers may dispute disciplinary action once, unless further evidence has been given.