U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

COMPLAINT AND REFERRAL HANDLING

NCJ Number
68254
Author(s)
C E VILLANO
Date Published
1980
Length
30 pages
Annotation
THIS OPERATIONAL GUIDE EXPLAINS THE PROPER METHODS FOR HANDLING COMPLAINTS CONCERNING WHITE-COLLAR CRIMES. IT IS DESIGNED PARTICULARLY FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS DEALING WITH WHITE-COLLAR CRIME.
Abstract
PROPER ANALYSIS OF COMPLAINTS AND EFFECTIVE INTERACTION WITH COMPLAINANTS AND REFERRING AGENCIES ULTIMATELY DETERMINES THE QUALITY OF AGENCY PRIORITY SETTING, ALLOCATION OF INVESTIGATIVE RESOURCES, BUDGET JUSTIFICATIONS, AND RESPONSIVE SERVICE TO THE PUBLIC. SOURCES OF INVESTIGATION ARE PROACTIVE INVESTIGATIVE INFORMATION, AGENCY REFERRALS, AND CITIZEN COMPLAINTS. MANY WHITE-COLLAR UNITS PREFER THE PROACTIVE INVESTIGATION IN WHICH ADS ARE REVIEWED, PRACTICES ARE OBSERVED, AND UNDERCOVER ACTIVITIES ARE USED. THE MOST DIFFICULT SOURCE TO HANDLE IS THE CITIZEN-INITIATED COMPLAINT, BECAUSE HARD WORK WITH FREQUENTLY UNREWARDING RESULTS IS INVOLVED. THE GUIDE EXPLAINS PROCEDURES FOR HANDLING COMPLAINTS, SORTING COMPLAINTS, PROCESSING COMPLAINTS, AND HANDLING REFERRALS, INCLUDING MECHANISMS FOR FACILITATING REFERRALS. FORMS AND TRACKING MECHANISMS ARE DISCUSSED, AND PERSONNEL ATTITUDES ARE EXAMINED. THE GUIDE NOTES THAT INDIVIDUAL ATTITUDES OF EMPLOYEES CAN BEST BE CHANGED BY THE EXAMPLE OF THEIR SUPERVISORS. A SUMMARY REMINDER LIST AND FOOTNOTES ARE INCLUDED. DIAGRAMS ILLUSTRATE THEORETICAL REFERRAL FLOW AND THEORETICAL COMPLAINT FLOW. TWO REPORTING FORMS ARE APPENDED.