Government > Takoma Park Police Department > Submit a Complaint or Compliment

Submit a Complaint or Compliment

Police misconduct complaints are received and investigated under the Maryland Public Safety Article and Maryland Police Accountability Act of 2021.

Anyone wishing to submit a complaint is encouraged to speak with an on-duty supervisor, at the rank of sergeant or above, who can discuss departmental policy as it relates to the specific incident. This may be done in person or by telephone at (301) 270-1100. Individuals who wish to file a complaint may do so anonymously as well. Anyone making a complaint is required to provide a name, mailing address, and phone number or email if they wish to receive notifications.

A Complaint Form (available in English or Spanish) can be provided to assist you in filing a complaint. The forms are available in the lobby of the police station. An electronic Complaint Form for online submission is available at Complaint Form. The form is not required to submit a complaint.

Complaints of police or agency misconduct are generally investigated by the Internal Affairs Manager. Anyone may request to speak directly with the Internal Affairs Manager to submit a complaint by calling 301-270-1100.

Complaints of police misconduct may be reported in person, by phone, or by email to any police supervisor. If no supervisor is available to speak with the complainant, any senior ranking officer or agency employee who is speaking with the complainant shall offer to accept the complaint. If a walk-in or telephone complainant does not wish to speak with a police officer, the complaint shall be accepted by any agency employee.

The Agency has designated Ms. Gudelia Saavedra as the victim’s rights advocate to act as the contact for the public within the agency on matters related to police misconduct. She can be reached by calling 301-270-1100 or by email at GudeliaS@TakomaParkMd.gov.

Contact information for police command staff members can be found on the Agency website. Complaints can be emailed to the Internal Affairs Manager at RichardC@TakomaParkMd.gov.

Complaints can be mailed to:

Internal Affairs Manager
City of Takoma Park Police Department
1^st Floor
7500 Maple Avenue
Takoma Park, MD 20912

Complaints may also be made in person or in writing to the City Manager who will follow up with the Police Department staff as necessary. Complaints can be mailed to:

City of Takoma Park – City Manager
Takoma Park Community Center
3rd Floor
7500 Maple Avenue
Takoma Park, MD 20912

Montgomery County Police Accountability Board

Anyone can also opt to submit a complaint directly to the Police Accountability Board of Montgomery County to lodge a complaint against any law enforcement officer in Montgomery County using this link: MC Police Accountability Board.

Complaint Procedure

The policy of the Police Department is to create and maintain a system that assures objectivity, fairness, and justice by the prompt, impartial investigation, and review of all allegations of Officer or Police Department misconduct.

Complaints are submitted to the Internal Affairs Manager (currently the Police Captain for Support Services). The Internal Affairs Manager conducts a preliminary investigation to gather the details and provides a synopsis to the Chief of Police. The Chief evaluates the complaint and decides to forward the case for an Administrative Review or an Internal Affairs Investigation. Factors such as complaint history, the severity of the alleged activity, and other relevant performance-related information are taken into consideration. Serious allegations of police misconduct are investigated by the Internal Affairs personnel. All complaints are recorded and tracked through the department’s Internal Affairs software.

Complainants who submit their contact information will receive an initial response within 72 hours of any online or mailed-in submission once it is received. Investigations into a police misconduct case may take up to 90 days to complete. Complainants will receive monthly updates until the conclusion of the investigation. Investigations will be postponed until the conclusion of any court case related to the incident that gave rise to the complaint. The agency will notify the complainant of the outcome of the complaint within 72 hours of a disposition, including any discipline imposed under established confidentiality policies and any applicable law.

Submit a Compliment

Persons wishing to compliment a police employee may call a supervisor, visit a supervisor at the Takoma Park Police Station, or fill out this online compliment form.

Individuals completing the online compliment form will receive an email verification once the form has been submitted.