Q: Can I request a copy of a police departments internal affairs investigation report?
The officer on my friends case was being investigated by internal affairs,for misconduct. That officer resigned from the police department to stop the investigation and before taking a scheduled polygraph test. Is it possible for me to obtain a copy of the internal affairs report that was be performed on this officer?
A: Once an IA investigation is over (and there's no pending criminal case against the officer), the entire IA file (not just the final report) is public record, a copy of which can be obtained by making a public records request to the police dept. Many departments now take online requests on a records portal or by email. Since the subject officer quit, the final report would probably indicate that there was no finding one way or the other due to the officer's resignation.
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