City of Springfield leaders are making an online resource more accessible to the public to address police misconduct complaints.
The Police Complaint Form has been around for decades, but recently Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck requested that it be placed in a prominent spot on the city’s website after learning several community members were unaware that the resource existed.
The form asks for basic information including the officer’s name or badge number, their physical description, a description of the incident that took place and if any injuries occurred.
Any complaint made via the form is submitted and investigated by the City Manager’s Office, which acts as a third-party.
“Some people may find it difficult or a challenge to send a complaint against the police division to a member of the police division,” Heck told News Center 7’s Jenna Lawson.
With emotions running high, nationwide, after the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis Police custody – Heck said he wants the people of Springfield to know that the city has always tried to be proactive when it comes to police-community relations.
In the last five years, the city manager’s office said it’s received zero complaints of police misconduct via the form.
That statistic is only inclusive of police misconduct complaints made through that specific form – as complaints can also be made directly to the police department.
“I’m confident that you're not going to see the things you've seen in other communities because of the work we do on a day-to-day basis on training our officers,” Heck said.
Because the City Manager’s Office is currently closed to the public because of COVID-19 concerns, the best ways to the submit the form are online, fax or by mail.