ordering police employees to cooperate shall not be revealed to Criminal Investigators without approval of the County Attorney’s Office. Other results of the Administrative Investigation may or may not be privileged from disclosure to others, including the Team investigators, depending upon applicable law.
5.
The Employer Agency should immediately assign at least one Administrative Investigator upon being notified of the Incident. This officer can function as a liaison between the Employer and the Team, can gather information for the Agency, and can be the Team’s contact for personnel matters, even if no actual investigation is then warranted by the Administrative Investigator. (If the Employer Agency has a policy it should be made consistent with this protocol).
6.
The Team will promptly and periodically brief the Administrative Investigator(s) of the criminal investigations progress. The Administrative Investigators will have access to briefings, the scene(s), physical evidence. And interviewees’ statements.
7.
Administrative Investigators are not bound by some of the Investigative restrictions that apply to Criminal Investigators.
C.
News Media Relations
1.
The public’s right to know what occurred must be balanced with the requirements of the investigation and with the rights of the involved individuals.
2.
As in all other cases, care must be taken to insure that intentionally misleading, erroneous, or false statements are not made.
3.
Agencies and individuals who are not well informed and not intimately involved with the investigation’s results and progress should not make statements to the press.
4.
While an agency cannot be prohibited from making statements to the news media about an incident, these guidelines are established: