Internal Affairs

Mission

The Vicksburg Police Department is committed to providing the highest quality of service to the community and to continued progressive policing in partnership with our community.

The Internal Affairs Division is dedicated to conducting thorough, fair, unbiased, and expedient investigations into allegations of misconduct on the part of officers and civilian employees of the Vicksburg Police Department. Citizens and employees can feel confident that matters of concern will be addressed in the appropriate manner.

How to File a Complaint

Informal complaints may be made verbally or in writing to any member of the Vicksburg Police Department.

Formal complaints should be directed to the Internal Affairs Division, located at the City Hall Annex Building, 1415 Walnut Street, Vicksburg, Mississippi, 601-631-2996. Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
If the office is closed, you may still file a complaint with any Police Department supervisor who will then forward your complaint to the appropriate party.

Formal complaints must be made in writing, signed, and sworn to in the presence of a Notary Public. A Notary Public is on staff in the Internal Affairs Division.

The complainant must file a complaint of an incident. All other persons may give statements as witnesses. If a complainant is otherwise incapable of filing a complaint, a witness may file a complaint on behalf of the complainant.

Please be aware that filing a false complaint could result in perjury charges being filed against you.

Compliant Process

Informal complaints may be addressed by the employee's immediate supervisor or referred to the Internal Affairs Division.

When a formal complaint is received, the Internal Affairs Division determines how the case will be processed and/or investigated in one of four ways:
1) Investigates the complaint thoroughly.
2) Refers it for criminal investigation.
3) If, in the initial stages of the investigation, it is determined that the allegation is obviously false, involves another agency, or is without merit, the case will not be investigated further.
4) Assigns it to the employee's supervisor who will investigate and contact the complainant to report the results.

What To Expect During the Investigation

At the time the complaint is filed, you may be interviewed at that time or another time will be scheduled so a complete report of the incident can be made. During the interview, the following things will be required of you:
1) You will be photographed.
2) Your statement will be recorded and/or videotaped.
3) You will be asked for names of witnesses and other employees that may know facts about your complaint.
4) You will be asked questions about your statement.
5) Photographs will be taken of any injuries that are related to your complaint.

Sometimes during the initial interview, the supervisor may be able to explain the employee's actions to your satisfaction. If this does not happen, the complaint will be assigned a case number and thoroughly investigated.

If your complaint pertains to your guilt or innocence of an offense, that is a matter to be determined by the Court.

Disposition of Complaints

If the investigation finds that the allegation(s) against an employee are well-founded and the employee has violated any rules or regulations of the Department, the matter will be referred to the employee's immediate supervisor and the Chief of Police for appropriate disciplinary action.

If the investigation does not find sufficient evidence to support the allegation(s), the investigation will be closed and no further action taken.