Compliment and Complaint Form

The Bowling Green State University Police Department is dedicated to providing quality service, safety, and a positive educational experience for our campus community and all those we interact with. The police department is sincerely interested in both recognizing employees that exhibit exceptional service and addressing areas where the department or an individual has failed to meet those standards. The following will provide information on how to share your feedback.

Compliments

It is always good to hear about a positive experience regarding the ability of a member of the police department to provide exceptional service and/or support. The compliments positively reinforce our departmental mission and the efforts of the police department staff. The best way to commend the actions of a police department employee is through the online form located below. It is also possible to notify the on-duty supervisor in person or via phone, 419-372-2346. The feedback provided will be shared with the department employee and placed in their personnel file.

Complaints

The public trust and image of the Bowling Green State University Police Department depends upon the personal integrity and discipline of each member. In order to maintain the integrity of this department and the trust of our citizens, complaint procedures have been established to address concerns of misconduct.

Complaints against police department personnel or the department as a whole are taken seriously and are investigated fully. Members of the public can submit a complaint against police department personnel with the online form below, in person, via phone, by mail, or anonymously. While you may choose to submit a report anonymously, please understand that doing so may impact our ability to follow-up if limited information is available.

The complaint process not only allows the department to examine its actions during an incident in question, but also provides opportunity to assess the effectiveness of our policies and procedures. These objectives can only be accomplished through a consistently thorough and objective investigative process.

The complaint process protects the rights of both parties. Please remember, the guilt, innocence or legality of an arrest are matters for the courts to decide and are not subject to the police complaint process. Only allegations of employee misconduct are investigated.

Complaints will be assigned to the employee’s immediate supervisor unless reassigned by the Chief or Deputy Chief. Complaint investigations are normally completed within a 30-day time period. After completion, the investigating supervisor will forward their report and all supporting documents to the Deputy Chief for review. The investigative report will provide a conclusion that depicts the classification of the complaint and the findings.

The complainant will be periodically updated of the status of the complaint. This will be done by the investigating supervisor or the Deputy Chief. After the conclusion of the investigation, and a finding has been determined, the Deputy Chief will advise the complainant as soon as practical of the outcome.

Please know, Ohio laws provide for penalties to those persons who are found guilty of knowingly providing false information to a law enforcement agency or official of that agency. The following sections of the Ohio Revised Code apply: 

• Section 2917.32(A)(3) No person shall report to any law enforcement agency an alleged offense or other incident within its concern, knowing that such offense did not occur. 
• Section 2921.l3(A) No person shall knowingly make a false statement, or knowingly swear or affirm the truth of a false statement previously made when any of the following apply:
       - The statement is made with purpose to mislead a public official in performing his function. 
• Section 2921.15(B) No person shall knowingly file a complaint against a peace officer that alleges that the peace officer engaged in misconduct in the performance of the officer's duties if the person knows that the allegation is false.