The Importance of Your Complaint
The Lampasas Police Department recognizes that its employees are responsible for their conduct when the public is concerned. The department also acknowledges that at certain times, conflicts between citizens and agency employees can arise. It is essential to the safety of our community that the relationship between police and citizens be built on confidence and trust. Law enforcement cannot be effective without this vital conviction by both entities.

Police officers must be free to exercise their best judgment and initiate proper action in a reasonable, lawful, impartial manner, without fear of reprisal. At the same time, they must observe the rights of all people. The complaint process and appropriate disciplinary procedures not only subject agency members to corrective action when they conduct themselves improperly, the guidelines also protect them from unwarranted criticism when they discharge their duties properly.

Complaint Reports
A disagreement over the validity of a traffic citation is not a complaint. Such disagreements should be directed to the court that has jurisdiction in the matter. The Police Department realizes that confusion, different perceptions, or the timeliness of information sometimes will result in descriptions that produce different versions of the same incident. Beyond legitimate error, however, the deliberate making of a report that the complainant knows to be false or misleading could constitute a violation of state law.

Complementing a Law Enforcement Employee
As we recognize that conflicts between citizens and agency employees can arise, we also realize that there are times when employees go above and beyond their call for duty. Law enforcement employees, like everyone else, appreciate it when their good deeds are noticed. Too often they are remembered for the traffic tickets they issue or the arrests they have to make, and not for the thousands of helping hands they extend.

If an officer or employee of the Lampasas Police Department provides services that you feel they should be commended for, please write the chief a letter or note to that effect, giving your feelings on what the officer or employee has done that deserves commendation. The chief will see to it that it gets to the employee and that a copy is placed in the employee's personnel file. This boosts their morale and encourages them and all other officers and employees of the department to be more positive about themselves and the service they provide. We are proud of the good relationship we share with the community.