If you have a concern about our delivery of police services or want to file a complaint about the conduct of a member of the department, you can start the process of resolving the concern in the following ways: 

• Speak with any on-duty police department employee and let them know you want to make a complaint. They will gather the appropriate information and get it to the supervisor responsible for following up with you.
• File a complaint online using the Online Feedback Form. You will be contacted by a supervisor to follow-up on the complaint.
• Come to the police department or West Des Moines City Hall and request a complaint form. You can return the form via postal mail or complete the form and leave it with any on-duty police department employee. 
• Call the Office of Professional Standards directly at (515) 440-4792. If you leave a message, please give the date, time, type of incident, and any other information you think is important. A supervisor will call you back when available and gather any additional information necessary to follow-up on the complaint.

If the concern is minor in nature and can be resolved to your satisfaction without a formal process, the assigned supervisor will gather any information necessary and make the concern known to the employee's supervisor as appropriate. 

If the concern cannot be resolved through informal inquiry, involves alleged conduct of a serious or criminal nature, or other extenuating circumstances are present, a formal administrative investigation will be conducted. When an administrative investigation is conducted to determine the facts and circumstances of an allegation, all necessary evidence and witness statements will be gathered.

When the investigation is complete, the information learned during the investigation will be presented to the employee's chain of command and Chief of Police for evaluation. There are four possible outcomes from the evaluation, which are: 

• Sustained - When the investigation discloses sufficient evidence to establish that the act occurred and that it constituted misconduct.
• Not sustained - When the investigation discloses that there is insufficient evidence to sustain the complaint or fully exonerate the member.
• Unfounded - When the investigation discloses that the alleged acts did not occur or did not involve department members. Complaints that are determined to be frivolous will fall within the classification of unfounded.
• Exonerated - When the investigation discloses that the alleged act occurred but that the act was justified, lawful and/or proper.

When the evaluation is complete, you will be informed of the findings and any additional details that would have value for understanding why the particular outcome was determined. This will typically be in a letter, but other communication methods may be used as appropriate. It is our goal to have findings from administrative investigations available within 30 days of the initial report, but this may take longer depending on the complexity of the investigation or other circumstances. If an investigation will take longer than 30 days, we will keep you informed of the progress until it is resolved.

There are answers to common questions on the frequently asked questions section of our website.

Following the list of other agencies authorized to investigate police department actions

Iowa Civil Rights Commission
400 East 14th St, 1st Floor
Des Moines, Iowa 50309
Phone 515-281-4121

State of Iowa Office of the Ombudsman
1112 E Grand Ave.
Des Moines, Iowa 50319
Phone 515-281-3592

Federal Bureau of Investigation
4401 Westown Pkwy
West Des Moines, Iowa 50266
Phone 515-223-4278