Internal Affairs Division
200 Taylor Street - 7th Floor
Fort Worth, TX 76196
817-884-1108
SheriffInternalAffairs@TarrantCounty.com
The mission of the Internal Affairs Division is to assist the
Sheriff’s Administration in maintaining the public trust by conducting
administrative investigations of officer-involved critical incidents
and complaints received on all employees of the Tarrant County
Sheriff’s Office.
Critical incidents include
officer-involved shootings, pursuits resulting in serious injury, or
any incident resulting in serious injury or death of a person,
regardless of any allegations of misconduct. In addition, all
complaints of misconduct, whether received from citizens or department
employees, are investigated in accordance with Sheriff’s Civil Service
Rules.
All complaints are evaluated to determine the
severity of the complaint and the possible impact on the employee in
question. Complaints fall into one of three categories, called
Levels. Generally, the Internal Affairs Division will investigate
all Level III complaints; while Levels I and II are referred to
supervisors for investigation as they do not carry the possibility of
loss of time, money or employment.
As a matter of policy, the Internal Affairs Division does not
investigate complaints concerning traffic violations or criminal
charges when a person’s guilt or innocence is the issue in question.
Additionally, Internal Affairs does not normally investigate unsigned
complaints, third-party complaints, anonymous complaints, or
complaints of improper actions (whether administrative or criminal) by
employees of other law enforcement agencies.
Most
complaints come from Sheriff’s Office personnel. In addition to
Internal Affairs personnel, all Sheriff’s Office supervisors are
responsible for taking appropriate action when they become aware of a
citizen’s complaint referencing employee misconduct.
Department supervisors initiate approximately 95 percent of all
disciplinary investigations conducted by Internal Affairs. Such
pro-active personnel management on the part of supervision greatly
contributes to the high standard of conduct exhibited by the vast
majority of the Sheriff’s employees, as well as the minimal percentage
of citizen complaints. Furthermore, due to the minimal number of
complaints alleging severe employee misconduct, a cost-effective
Internal Affairs staff of four personnel currently accomplishes all
designated duties and responsibilities for a department consisting of
more than 1,300 personnel.
You may contact the Internal
Affairs Division referencing the apparent misconduct by a Tarrant
County Sheriff’s Office employee in person, or by calling
817-884-1108. Office hours are Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.,
(excluding County holidays). After office hours, a message and return
phone number may be left via voice mail and the call will be returned
the following business day.
The Internal Affairs Division
will investigate any calls that appear to be Level III. The result of
these investigations may result in severe disciplinary action, up to
loss of employment, or possible criminal investigation. Because of
the severe consequences of sustained Third Level Complaints you must
come to the Sheriff’s Office to complete and sign a formal complaint
form. The complaint process generally takes the department 60
calendar days to complete the investigation and for the Board of
Disciplinary Review to determine what discipline shall be recommended
and/or imposed.
County Telephone Operator 817-884-1111
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100 E. Weatherford, Fort Worth, Texas 76196
Copyright 2001-2019 Tarrant County, TX