Overview
The members of the Bedminster Township Police Department are committed to providing law enforcement services that are fair, effective, and impartially applied. It is in the best interests of everyone that your complaint about the performance of an individual officer is resolved fairly and promptly. The Police Department has formal procedures for investigating your complaint. These procedures are designed to ensure fairness and protect the rights of both citizens and law enforcement officers:
1. Reports or Complaints of officer/employee misconduct must be accepted from any person, including anonymous sources, at any time.
2. Complaints shall be accepted regardless of age, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or immigration status of the complaining party.
3. Your complaint will be sent to a superior officer or a specially trained internal affairs officer who will conduct a thorough and objective investigation.
4. You might be asked to help in the investigation by giving a detailed statement about what happened or providing other important information or documents.
5. All complaints against law enforcement officers are thoroughly investigated. You will be kept informed of the status of the investigation and its ultimate outcome, if requested, and you provide contact information. The exact discipline imposed is confidential, but you will be advised of the ultimate finding, namely:
a. Sustained: A preponderance of the evidence shows an officer violated any law; regulation; directive, guideline, policy, or procedure issued by the Attorney General or County Prosecutor; agency protocol; standing operating procedure; rule; or training.
b. Unfounded: A preponderance of the evidence shows that the alleged conduct did not occur.
c. Exonerated: A preponderance of the evidence shows the alleged conduct did occur, but did not violate any law; regulation; directive, guideline, policy, or procedure issued by the Attorney General or County Prosecutor; agency protocol; standing operating procedure; rule; or training. (For example, at the conclusion of an investigation into an excessive force allegation, the agency finds that the officer used force (alleged conduct) but that the force was not excessive (alleged violation).)
d. Not Sustained: The investigation failed to disclose sufficient evidence to clearly prove or disprove the allegation.
6. If our investigation shows that a crime might have been committed, the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office will be notified. You might be asked to testify in court.
7. If our investigation results in an officer being charged with a violation of department rules, you might be asked to testify in a departmental hearing.
8. If our investigation shows that the complaint is unfounded or that the officer acted properly, the matter will be closed.
9. Internal affairs investigations are confidential and all disciplinary hearings shall be closed to the public unless the defendant officer requests an open hearing.
How to Register a Complaint
If you want to lodge an internal affairs complaint, please call the Bedminster Township Police Department at 908-234-0585 and ask to speak with a shift supervisor. If the shift supervisor is not available, all members of the Bedminster Township Police Department are qualified to take your complaint.
You may also download a Internal Affairs Report Form and submit it via email ([email protected]), send it via U.S. mail or you may drop it off at police headquarters.
Internal Affairs Report Form - Arabic
Internal Affairs Report Form - Chinese
Internal Affairs Report Form - English
Internal Affairs Report Form - Haitian
Internal Affairs Report Form - Hindi
Internal Affairs Report Form - Korean
Internal Affairs Report Form - Polish
Internal Affairs Report Form - Portuguese
Internal Affairs Report Form - Spanish
Internal Affairs Report Form - Tagalog
Internal Affairs Report Form - Vietnamese
Internal Affairs Statistics & Major Discipline Reporting
2017 Internal Affairs Summary
2018 Internal Affairs Summary
2019 Internal Affairs Summary
2020 Internal Affairs Summary & Major Discipline Report
2021 Internal Affairs Summary & Major Discipline Report
Thank you for taking the time to assist us to better serve you.