Internal Affairs

A professional training, education, and certification program offered by Public Agency Training Council and endorsed by the National Internal Affairs Investigator Association. Successful completion of certification requirements will designate the attendee as a certified Internal Affairs Investigator/Supervisor through Public Agency Training Council.

Mission Statement

To provide public safety practitioners who either specialize in or have a specific interest in administrative investigations and the operations of IA/OPS functions with the opportunity to gain recognition for their educational and professional dedication in this aspect of public safety operations. Internal Affairs measures the health and well-being of an agency. When it functions properly it protects the interests of the community, agency, head of the agency, and the employees of the agency. Public employees who have a role in these operations must be professional, impartial, and well-educated in the newest emerging trends and case law affecting administrative investigations. How persons who investigate and/or administer these functions create a lasting impression on all members of the agency.

Purpose

To provide law enforcement, fire service, and public risk management agencies with a training and education program that will enhance the performance of Internal Affairs/Office of Professional Standards operations. These operations encompass administrative investigations, response to complaints alleging employee misconduct or agency dissatisfaction, employee discipline, high-risk/critical task audits, and preliminary risk management assessments. It is understood that not all agencies may have a designated unit assigned to these tasks, but the training is designed to guide personnel assigned to conduct these types of investigations, supervise these investigations, oversee the process and/or adjudicate these types of investigations

To encourage and facilitate continued education and learning in these essential agency functions

To provide employees assigned the task of conducting these administrative investigations with the investigative tools necessary to conduct fair and reasonable investigations

To enable graduates of the program the ability to evaluate, modify and/or enhance their agency's written and operational directives concerning citizen complaint processes, administrative investigations, risk management oversight, internal affairs functions, and employee discipline

To provide supervisors responsible for internal affairs/citizen complaint operations with the necessary tools to ensure that the process is conducted fairly and reasonably

To provide public risk management personnel with the essential knowledge and tools to conduct comprehensive oversight and audit of this function

To provide successful candidates with a forum for the continued discussion of specific issues/problems being confronted in IA/OPS and disciplinary operations and a source for legal updates on administrative investigations and employee discipline

To provide the most up-to-date legal and generally accepted practices foundation for employee discipline and the conduct of an administrative investigation

To provide successful candidates with industry recognition for engaging in personal and professional development in this essential public safety task.