Professional Standards/Internal Affairs

Office of Professional Standards

What is the function of the Office of Professional Standards (Internal Affairs)?

The Office of Professional Standards is responsible for receiving, processing, and supervising internal affairs investigations that involve allegations of criminal conduct and acts of misconduct made against members of the Police Division. The Office of Professional Standards ensures that allegations made against members of the Lacey Township Police Division are thoroughly and objectively investigated to their logical conclusion. The Office of Professional Standards maintains a comprehensive index of all complaints received against all members. This information is submitted to the Ocean County Prosecutors Office on an annual basis. The entire process is completed in accordance with the Attorney General Guidelines Internal Affairs Policy.

To whom does the Office of Professional Standards report?

The Office of Professional Standards reports directly to the Chief of Police.

How do I file a complaint against an officer?

The Lacey Township Police Department 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:

Reports or Complaints of officer/employee misconduct must be accepted from any person, including anonymous sources, at any time.
Complaints shall be accepted regardless of age, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation disability, or immigration status of the complaining party.
Your complaint will be sent to a superior officer or a specially trained internal affairs officer who will conduct a thorough and objective investigation.
You might be asked to help in the investigation by giving a detailed statement about what happened or providing other important information or documents.
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:

1. 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.
2. Unfounded: A preponderance of the evidence shows that the alleged misconduct did not occur.
3. 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.
4. Not Sustained: The investigation failed to disclose sufficient evidence to clearly prove or disprove the allegation.

If our investigation shows that a crime might have been committed, the county prosecutor will be notified. You might be asked to testify in court.
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.
If our investigation shows that the complaint is unfounded or that the officer acted properly, the matter will be closed.
Internal affairs investigations are confidential and all disciplinary hearings shall be closed to the public unless the defendant officer requests an open hearing.
You may call the INTERNAL AFFAIRS INVESTIGATOR at 609-693-6636 with any additional information or any questions about the case.

INTERNAL AFFAIRS COMPLAINT FORMS

CIVILIAN COMPLAINT INFORMATION SHEET (WHAT TO EXPECT)

How to submit the complaint?

Your complaint can be submitted many different ways. If you choose to fill out any of the above form detailing the complaint, it can be submitted the following ways:

E-mail the form to internalaffairs@laceypd.org
Drop the form at police headquarters at any time to any member of the organization
Mail the form to this agency at 808 Lacey Road, Forked River, NJ 08731

If you would rather not complete the form and still wish to file a complaint against an officer, you can:

Call and speak to any member of the organization at any time to file your complaint
Respond to police headquarters at any time and file a complaint.

In a continuing effort to maintain transparency and keep the public informed, this information will inform you of the annual statistics on the Lacey Township Police Department’s Internal Affairs investigations. These reports are the same reports a resident would receive after submitting an OPRA (Open Public Records Act) request .

2023 Internal Affairs Annual Report
2022 Internal Affairs Annual Report
2021 Internal Affairs Annual Report
2020 Internal Affairs Annual Report
2019 Internal Affairs Annual Report
2018 Internal Affairs Annual Report
2017 Internal Affairs Annual Report
2016 Internal Affairs Annual Report
2015 Internal Affairs Annual Report
2014 Internal Affairs Annual Report

Annual Major Discipline Reporting Form.

2023 Annual Major Discipline Report
2022 Annual Major Discipline Report
2021 Annual Major Discipline Report
2020 Annual Major Discipline Report

2019 Professional Standards Summary
One (1) internal complaint against a police officer resulted in major discipline. The complaint involved an on-duty officer who violated department policy. The officer received an unpaid suspension of forty (40) days as the Internal Investigation sustained the complaint.