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Office of Professional Standards

Office of Professional Standards – ALACHUA COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE Skip to content The Office of Professional Standards is more commonly known as Internal Affairs and investigates formal complains and conducts internal affairs investigations, along with other tasks such as audits and administrative review. It is commanded by Captain Ed Bennett, who serves as the Chief Inspector. Captain Ed Bennett Office of Professional Standards The Office of Professional Standards (OPS) is comprised of a Chief Inspector (Captain), Lead Inspector (Lieutenant), several Inspectors (Lieutenants or Sergeants) and an Administrative Specialist. The OPS is responsible for: Internal Affairs Staff Inspections/Audits Citizen Comments/Concerns Complaint-Intake-FormDownload The Complaint Intake Form can be viewed in Adobe Acrobat Reader and then printed. You may also scan and email the form to [email protected] or come to the lobby to pick up a form. If you would like to submit the complaint in person, you can drop it off at the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office Records Bureau or Jail Lobby and it will be forwarded to the Office of Professional Standards. You can also fill out an online complaint form at https://acso.us/citizen-complaint-or-commendation-form/. It is essential that the citizens of Alachua County have confidence in their Sheriff’s Office and the administration which supervises the exercise of police authority. This mandates that procedures for investigating and resolving all concerns and allegations of misconduct be instituted. Although citizen comments are frequently based upon misunderstandings of the law or established law enforcement procedures, they are of great concern and can lead to a mistrust of law enforcement if not investigated or explained. All citizens are encouraged to bring forward legitimate comments, concerns, commendations and/or grievances regarding ASO employees. Internal Affairs One function of this Office is to provide fact-finding assistance to the Sheriff and his staff by providing a systematic, objective and impartial method of investigating concerns regarding employee misconduct. Inspectors assigned the Internal Affairs function are responsible for conducting Administrative Investigations arising from allegations of employee misconduct or lack of performance, criminal investigations, use of deadly force incidents, and any matter as directed by the Sheriff. All complaints received against the ACSO or any employee will be documented, investigated and resolved by established procedures. Monthly summaries of internal investigations and an annual statistical summary are available by making a public records request through the Records Bureau. Investigation Findings When the investigation or inquiry is completed, the employee in charge of the investigation shall classify his/her findings as follows: Unfounded – The act or acts complained of did not occur or did not involve ACSO personnel. Not Sustained – Insufficient evidence to clearly prove or disprove the allegation/complaint. Sustained – The preponderance of evidence clearly proves the allegation/complaint. Exonerated – The act or acts did occur, but were justified, lawful and proper. Exonerated Due to Policy Failure – A finding or conclusion that present policy, procedure, rule or regulation covering the situation was non-existent or inadequate. Staff Inspections The function of Staff Inspections is to provide fact finding assistance to the Sheriff. Staff Inspections should provide a systematic, objective review of office facilities, equipment, personnel administration and operational activities outside the normal supervisory and line inspection procedures. The primary purpose of Staff Inspections is to ensure sound operating procedures within the Sheriff’s Office are being followed, to detect and correct deficiencies, and recommend new and improved methods or procedures.