Commendations & Complaints
The City of Hanahan
Police Department is committed to providing quality law enforcement
performance and effective community relations based upon trust. Therefore,
we encourage citizens to recommend improvements regarding our service.
We welcome commendations of Police Department personnel who admirably
perform their duties. We also encourage complaints and/or questions
about Police Department performance or the actions of its personnel.
Procedures for
Registering a Commendation or Complaint
If you wish to commend
a Police Officer or an employee, or if you feel that a Police Officer
or an employee has acted improperly, you may register commendation or
complaint in the following ways:
- At any time come to the front desk of the City of Hanahan Police Department located within the Municipal Complex at 1255 Yeamans Hall Road, Hanahan, South Carolina. Request to speak with a supervisor. The Supervisor will assist in supplying the proper form (i.e. commendation or complaint).
- If you cannot come to the Police Department, and you feel that you must speak to a supervisor immediately call the City of Hanahan Police Department at 843.747.5711, and you will be assisted.
- You may also make your commendation and/or complaint in writing and forward it to:
The Office of
Professional Standards
City of Hanahan Police Department
1255 Yeamans Hall Road
Hanahan, South Carolina 29406-5734
Call 843.554.4221 ext. 118 for further assistance in this area.
Commendations
We encourage our Police Officers and employees to be "service oriented". Therefore, there is no greater recognition for them than to be complimented for their excellent service by a citizen.
Commendations can range from a citizen's letter to a service medal. When providing commendation information in letterform please describe the events or incident along with the name(s) of all involved. Let us know why they impressed you or assisted you. What action did they take that made the difference? Depending on the circumstances surrounding the events or incident the employee's action will be considered and evaluated when deciding what level of recognition they will receive. In all cases the employee and their supervisor will be notified regarding the commendation received. The Chief of Police will also receive the information and it will be placed in the employee's personnel file.
The Investigating Officer will notify each citizen that their commendation was received and the action that was taken in regard to the involved employee(s).
Complaints
All complaints shall be promptly and thoroughly investigated. Normally, Division Lieutenants will investigate or assign the appropriate supervisor to investigate complaints of a less serious nature. However, complaints of a serious nature shall be turned over to the Office of Professional Standards/Internal Affairs for investigation.
After an investigation of a serious incident it is forwarded to the Chief of Police for review. The complaint will be categorized according to one of the following criteria:
- Unfounded:
The complaint was not based on facts, as shown by the investigation,
or the incident did not occur as reported.
- Exonerated:
The action reported did occur, but the investigation disclosed that
the actions were reasonable, lawful and proper.
- Not Sustained:
Insufficient evidence available to either prove or disprove the allegations
of the compliant.
- Sustained:
Investigation disclosed sufficient evidence to support the allegations
of the complaint.
Depending on the
above an appropriate action will be taken and the complainant shall
be notified. The City of Hanahan Police Department has policy and procedures
in place to address these concerns.
